A former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu,has dismissed speculation that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, may emerge as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 Oyo State gubernatorial election.
It’s reported that, Shittu’s comment comes amid reports that Adelabu may resign his ministerial position to pursue his governorship ambition under the APC platform.
Barring any last-minute change of plans, Adelabu is expected to resign his appointment in the coming weeks to contest the APC governorship ticket.
However, Shittu, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, in an interview with Punch, said no aspirant had been promised the party’s ticket.
According to him, the mode of selecting the party’s candidate, whether by consensus or indirect primaries, remains uncertain, noting that the decision ultimately rests with President Bola Tinubu.
Shittu maintained that there was no indication from Tinubu’s body language suggesting that the President had endorsed any aspirant for the contest.
He said, “The presidency will decide. Nobody can predict that this is what will happen. Again, nobody can confidently beat his chest that he has been promised the APC governorship ticket.
“He (Adelabu) is not the only one in the race. Forget the rumours that he may emerge as the APC anointed candidate. There is nothing like that. I can assure you.
“Some people are just making that assumption because he is a minister now. Was I not equally a minister before? In fact, I was the only minister from Oyo then under former President Buhari.”
Shittu also expressed confidence that the APC would reclaim Oyo State when the tenure of the incumbent governor, Seyi Makinde, ends.
He boasted, “The PDP is a goner this time around.”
The former coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council noted that the contest for the APC ticket would be highly competitive, revealing that several other aspirants were preparing to join the race.
He added, “Apart from the two of us, there will be a stiff challenge from the likes of Sharafadeen Alli, Teslim Folarin, and Remi Oseni from the House of Representatives.
“Although Sharafadeen has not indicated interest yet, we do know from all indications that he will contest. There are other aspirants too. Altogether, we should be about 11.”