Former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, has stated that President Bola Tinubu has not backed any All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.
Adelabu, who was appointed minister in August 2023, recently stepped down from his position to pursue his governorship ambition in line with the Electoral Act.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan shortly after returning to the state, he dismissed claims that the president had already chosen a preferred candidate for the race.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, president of the federal Republic of Nigeria with 36 states, 774 local governments and almost 9,000 wards… he will not endorse or have special interest in anybody,” he said.
“Of course, in the last two, three weeks, there have been rumours that Asiwaju has endorsed someone else. But it is all a lie. I am his son. If he has such a plan, he would have told me.”
Adelabu emphasised that his long-standing relationship with Tinubu has seen him enjoy support in previous elections.
“We did the 2019 election together. He supported me and we got to the supreme court. Also, during the 2023 election, we were together before I defected to Accord Party and I even supported him,” he said.
“When he became the president, he invited me despite being from another party, to be a minister in his cabinet. And not too longer after, I came back here to the APC where I truly belong.”
He explained that his resignation from the cabinet was solely to focus on his ambition to contest the governorship election.
“The singular reason for my resignation is to come back and plead for the opportunity to represent our party as the guber candidate in the 2027 general election. That is the only reason why I resigned,” he said.
“And this is not my first time of taking such risk because it is what I believe in and I’m ready to satisfy anything to ensure that I get to that position of representing our party and of winning the election.”
Adelabu added that he has spent over a decade preparing for the role and expressed confidence in delivering on key areas such as infrastructure, economic growth, and security in Oyo State if elected.