The emergence of Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State may have settled the battle for the party’s ticket, but it has simultaneously opened a new phase of political uncertainty over the unity and electoral prospects of the party ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Alli, who represents Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, recorded a resounding victory at the APC governorship primary, polling 578,143 votes to defeat former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who secured 19,193 votes, and Senator Buhari, who polled 37,265 votes.
Although the outcome reinforced Alli’s growing influence within the APC structure in Oyo State, the aftermath of the exercise has exposed deep divisions within the party, with aggrieved aspirants questioning the credibility of the process and political stakeholders warning of the dangers of unresolved internal disputes.
Adelabu rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging widespread irregularities in several parts of the state.
“There is a lot of gross misconduct in many wards. In some wards, figures were simply written, while in others our people were intimidated. In some places, there was no voting at all, yet results were recorded. We are going to submit a petition on what happened throughout the state,” Adelabu said.
The allegations have heightened concerns that the APC may be heading into another round of internal crisis capable of weakening its chances in the general election if urgent reconciliation efforts are not initiated.
Political analysts and scholars say the immediate challenge before Alli and the party leadership is how to rebuild trust among aggrieved members and prevent the growing discontent from snowballing into open rebellion, defections or silent protest at the polls.
A chieftain of the APC in Oyo State, Prof. Soji Adejumo, said the party must urgently return to the drawing board to preserve internal cohesion.
“To make the party more cohesive, we need to straighten things out and bring everybody back on board. The party leadership must be creative enough to ensure that no tendency feels excluded,” he said.
Similarly, former Chief of Staff to late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Prof. Gbade Ojo, stressed the need for immediate reconciliation among the various factions within the party.
“In every contest, one person must emerge the winner. But the leadership of the party must quickly establish a reconciliation mechanism to address grievances. If not properly managed, some aggrieved members may defect or become passive during the election,” Ojo warned.
For many analysts, the APC’s current challenge is not necessarily the emergence of a candidate, but the ability of the party to convert victory at the primary into collective ownership ahead of the governorship contest.
Dr. Adebukola Ayoola of the Department of History, University of Ilesa, argued that despite the tension generated by the primary, the APC still has enough political leverage to retain dissatisfied members because of its position as the ruling party at the centre.
“Those who lost the primary are naturally unhappy, but politics is often about negotiation, compensation and compromise. Some may eventually be considered for appointments or other political opportunities. I believe the party still has room to reconcile dissatisfied members and move forward as a united force,” Ayoola said.
However, political analyst, Prof. Olabode Lucas, warned that the crisis within the APC may reflect a deeper struggle for control and influence within the ruling party.
According to him, the influx of politicians from different camps into the APC over the years has created competing interests capable of destabilising the party if not properly managed.
“I had warned that the mass movement of politicians into the APC would eventually lead to internal implosion. What we are witnessing now is part of that process. The primaries have exposed underlying tensions within the party, and if these grievances are ignored, the crisis could affect the APC’s fortunes in the 2027 elections,” Lucas said.
He added that the APC risks repeating the mistakes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which suffered internal instability during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo due to prolonged battles over power sharing and patronage.
Despite the tension, party loyalists insist that the APC still has enough time to heal its internal wounds before the governorship election. Yet, analysts maintain that the success or failure of reconciliation efforts in the coming months may ultimately determine whether Alli emerges as the rallying point for a united APC or the symbol of a deeply divided party struggling to retain its political strength in Oyo State.
