No Peace Yet in Oyo APC: Olaniyan Says G6 Will Fight Alli’s Candidacy, Raises Oke-Ogun Marginalisation and Primary Election Questions
The political crisis within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be far from over despite the emergence of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
Former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, has openly questioned the process that produced Alli and signalled that the influential “G6” bloc within the party is not prepared to quietly accept the outcome.
Olaniyan made the assertions during a recent interview on The Ajibola Akinyefa Podcast, where he spoke extensively about internal APC politics, the governorship primary and his longstanding argument that Oke-Ogun deserves an opportunity to produce the next governor of Oyo State.
His comments come despite the APC formally unveiling Alli as its governorship candidate alongside Adesoji Adedeji as running mate. At the unveiling, Oyo APC Chairman Moses Adeyemo acknowledged the need for reconciliation and urged aggrieved members to unite behind the party.
According to Olaniyan, however, significant disagreements remain.
He accused prominent APC figures Fatai Ibikunle and former Senator Ayoade Adeseun of contributing to the party’s internal crisis, alleging that they had created what he described as a political “shield” around the Presidency that prevented dissenting stakeholders from gaining direct access.
The claim remains Olaniyan’s allegation and has not been independently established.
Olaniyan suggested that opposition to Alli’s emergence exists across different tendencies within the APC, including the G6 group with which he is associated, as well as camps linked to Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu.
The controversy predates the primary. In May, reports indicated that some APC governorship aspirants were already resisting what they regarded as the possible imposition of candidates and demanding a proper primary process. Alli, for his part, publicly declared that he was ready to participate in direct primaries.
Olaniyan Pushes Oke-Ogun Governorship Argument
Central to Olaniyan’s opposition is his demand for greater political representation for Oke-Ogun.
He argues that by the end of Governor Seyi Makinde’s tenure in 2027, Ibadan politicians would have governed Oyo State for about 24 of the 28 years since Nigeria returned to uninterrupted democratic government in 1999, while Ogbomoso produced Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Historical records show that since 1999, Oyo has been governed by Lam Adesina, Rashidi Ladoja, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Abiola Ajimobi and Seyi Makinde.
For Olaniyan, the 2027 election therefore presents an opportunity for Oke-Ogun, which comprises 10 local government areas and represents a major electoral bloc in the state.
He further alleged that his own governorship aspiration was deliberately frustrated during the APC primary process in Oke-Ogun because party leaders feared he could secure substantial support there.
According to his account, rather than allowing members to choose freely among aspirants, instructions were allegedly given for party members to queue behind Alli.
These allegations have not been independently verified.
Questions surrounding the primary results had already generated controversy. On May 23, the Oyo APC publicly dismissed figures circulating online as fake and said at the time that no official result had been announced. The disputed figures had purportedly placed Alli far ahead of Abdulfatai Buhari and Adelabu.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law in February, introducing amendments to Nigeria’s electoral framework.
Makinde Remark Raises Another Political Question
Perhaps one of Olaniyan’s most politically significant remarks concerned his relationship with Governor Seyi Makinde.
Olaniyan served as Makinde’s deputy after their joint victory in 2019 but was impeached by the Oyo State House of Assembly on July 18, 2022, after their political relationship deteriorated and Olaniyan defected from the PDP to the APC.
Olaniyan now insists that Makinde personally did not remove him and says their relationship remains cordial enough for possible future political cooperation.
That statement inevitably raises a bigger question ahead of 2027: if reconciliation within the APC fails, could Olaniyan and the G6 eventually work against their own party’s governorship candidate—or even seek an alternative political platform such as the APM?
For now, that remains speculation.
What appears increasingly clear, however, is that unveiling Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the APC candidate has not automatically ended the internal battle. With reconciliation still being pursued, the coming months will determine whether the APC enters the 2027 Oyo governorship election as one united political force—or as a party carrying unresolved divisions into the campaign.
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