By every parameter, Adebayo Adelabu is a technocrat. The ebullient son of the late Adegoke “Penkelemesi” Adelabu built an impressive career in the financial sector before venturing fully into partisan politics. He rose through the banking industry to become Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a profile that helped establish his reputation as a respected financial expert.
His professional pedigree was also believed to have attracted the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and strengthened his emergence as a significant political figure in Oyo State.
But Adelabu’s political journey has been far more complicated than his technocratic career.
His first major attempt at the Oyo governorship ended in defeat in the 2019 election, when he contested on the platform of the Accord Party. He subsequently returned to the APC and contested the 2023 governorship election, but again failed to secure the Agodi Government House.
In August 2023, President Tinubu appointed him Minister of Power, a position that placed Adelabu at the centre of the Federal Government’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s troubled electricity sector. His appointment also fuelled speculation in some political circles that the Presidency could be positioning him for another attempt at the Oyo governorship.
That expectation became increasingly uncertain in 2026.
Adelabu resigned as Minister of Power in April 2026 to pursue his long-standing ambition of becoming governor of Oyo State. He subsequently obtained the APC governorship nomination forms, signalling that he was determined to return to the race.
However, the APC’s internal dynamics did not favour him.
Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli emerged as the party’s preferred candidate after Oyo APC leaders endorsed him as a consensus candidate ahead of the primary. Adelabu went ahead with his ambition, but the primary ultimately produced Alli as the party’s candidate.
That outcome appears to have created a significant political crossroads for Adelabu.
The latest development is even more politically intriguing. President Tinubu has now constituted the APC’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, with former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as Secretary. Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will serve as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.
Against that backdrop, Adelabu’s conspicuous absence from the Oyo State names being circulated for the presidential campaign structure has generated questions about his current political standing within the Tinubu camp.
The listed Oyo figures include:
1. Zacch Adedeji — Deputy Director, Fundraising
2. Sunday Dare — Coordinating Deputy Director, Media/Strategic Communications II
3. Ayobami Oyalowo — Presidential Campaign Spokesperson III
4. Senator Sharafadeen Alli — Oyo State Campaign Coordinator
5. Senator Teslim Folarin — Zonal Secretary, Stakeholder Mobilisation, South-West
6. Hon. Akinjide Kazeem Akinola — Deputy Director, Grassroots Engagement and Mobilisation
The political symbolism is difficult to ignore.
Most striking is the presence of Alli and Folarin, two influential figures on the Oyo political chessboard, while Adelabu is absent. Alli defeated him in the APC governorship contest, while Folarin remains one of the party’s prominent political figures in the state.
Still, Adelabu’s exclusion should not automatically be interpreted as proof that he has completely fallen out with President Tinubu. Campaign appointments can reflect strategy, responsibility, political balancing and the structure of a particular electoral assignment. What it does, however, is provide fresh material for speculation about where Adelabu currently stands within the APC’s Oyo political hierarchy.
In Nigerian politics, political structure matters enormously. Technical competence, professional accomplishment and personal popularity do not always translate directly into political power. Networks, alliances, loyalty, timing and party organisation can determine whether an ambitious politician advances or gradually loses relevance.
For Adelabu, therefore, the challenge is no longer simply about winning an election. It is about rebuilding political relationships and determining the most strategic path forward.
Will he rebuild bridges within the APC? Will he remain politically quiet? Will he support the party’s structure? Or will he once again test his popularity outside the political arrangement controlled by those currently holding the stronger hand?
I am not a card-carrying member of any political party, but I have personal admiration and respect for Mr Adelabu. Politics requires tutelage, patience and strategic maturity at times.
My sincere advice to him is simple: be calm, rebuild relationships and do not allow ambition to become political isolation. In politics, timing can be as important as talent. A premature confrontation with the political establishment can close doors that patience might eventually reopen.
Adelabu still has experience, pedigree and political relevance. But whether those assets translate into another major political opportunity may depend less on how quickly he wants it and more on how wisely he manages the road ahead.
1 Comments
your insight was blind to see Adelabu great achievement and his future brilliant glory
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