Barely 24 hours before the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Oyo State, an aspirant on the platform of the party, Dr. Adewale Kolapo Kareem (AKK), has withdrawn from the contest and thrown his weight behind Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli.
Kareem announced his decision in a statement issued on Wednesday after what he described as a “deeply emotional and highly critical consultative meeting” with members of his campaign structure, including ward and local government coordinators as well as steering executives across the state.
The APC chieftain said the decision followed directives and a consensus framework reportedly reached by the leadership of the party at both the national and state levels in favour of Senator Alli as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship race in Oyo State.
According to him, the move was made in the interest of party unity and progress, stressing that the supremacy of the party must override personal ambition.
“We have always maintained that the party remains supreme, and this is an organisational ideology I have not only lived by but have consistently preached throughout my years in public life,” Kareem stated.
Describing his withdrawal as “a supreme sacrifice for progress,” the former aspirant urged his supporters across the state to vote overwhelmingly for Alli at the primary election scheduled for Thursday.
He noted that after engaging with the senator in recent days, he was convinced that both men shared “a uniform passion, an unyielding will, and a parallel desire to move Oyo State forward.”
Kareem further disclosed that his political structure, popularly known as the AKK structure, would now be fully deployed to support Alli’s emergence at the primary and his eventual bid to win the governorship election.
“For this immediate season, however, we are completely deploying our formidable human resources, structural might, and campaign assets to guarantee a resounding victory for Senator Sharafadeen Alli at the primary tomorrow,” he said.
While affirming his loyalty to the APC, Kareem also urged the party leadership to ensure broader inclusiveness in future consensus-building processes, warning that competing interests within democratic systems must be “deeply, inclusively, and delicately channelled.”
“While consensus is an institutional tool for unity, we must continually strive to do better in rallying every competing interest together from the foundational stages,” he added.
Political observers say the endorsement could significantly reshape the dynamics of the APC governorship primary, particularly in Ibadan and other areas where Kareem’s grassroots network is believed to have considerable influence.
Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government and current senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, is widely regarded as one of the leading contenders in the race to secure the APC ticket ahead of the 2027 governorship election.