The battle for the APC governorship ticket in Ogun State has entered a new phase as Abayomi Semako Hunye continues to challenge the party’s recognition of Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola as its candidate for the 2027 election.
Hunye recently announced Abayomi Odunowo as his running mate, sending a fresh signal that he has no intention of abandoning his political campaign while the dispute remains before the courts.
The development has further exposed the deep divisions surrounding the APC’s governorship contest in the state.
How the disagreement started
The controversy began after Governor Dapo Abiodun and other senior APC leaders backed Adeola as the party’s consensus candidate.
Adeola subsequently emerged from the party’s governorship primary with 304,055 votes, according to the electoral committee.
Hunye, who was his only challenger, was recorded as receiving no votes.
That result was immediately disputed by Hunye’s supporters, who alleged that their own collation produced a completely different outcome.
His campaign organisation claimed that Hunye obtained 453,765 votes and rejected the figures announced by the party’s electoral committee.
The former aspirant subsequently approached the courts to challenge the primary.
Why Hunye says he is still in the race
Hunye argues that abandoning the political process while pursuing his case in court could weaken his position.
He therefore decided to unveil a running mate and maintain his political activities while the legal proceedings continue.
He has also denied claims that he declared himself the APC’s officially recognised candidate, saying his position is that the court should determine who is legally entitled to the party’s ticket.
According to Hunye, the controversy cannot be regarded as finally settled until the judicial process has been completed.
APC stands firmly behind Adeola
The APC leadership has rejected Hunye’s position.
Ogun State APC chairman Yemi Sanusi said Adeola is the party’s recognised governorship candidate and that his name, alongside that of his running mate, had already been forwarded to INEC.
At the national level, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru went further, accusing Hunye of acting without authorisation and saying he had been suspended from the party.
Hunye disputes the suspension, saying he was never served with a formal notification or given an opportunity to respond through a disciplinary process.
He also questioned why the party would have sold him a nomination form, screened him and cleared him to participate in the primary if he had already been suspended.
The dispute reaches the police
The political disagreement has now attracted the attention of the Nigeria Police Force.
The APC has formally asked the Inspector General of Police to investigate Hunye over what the party described as impersonation and other alleged violations.
The party wants authorities to stop him from continuing to present himself publicly as the APC’s governorship candidate.
Hunye has maintained that the matter is a legal dispute and that the courts should be allowed to decide the issue.
For now, the APC’s official position remains that Adeola will fly the party’s flag in the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
Hunye, meanwhile, appears determined to continue his challenge.
The coming months could therefore prove crucial, as the court proceedings, party decisions and electoral preparations converge ahead of the 2027 contest.
The Ogun APC governorship dispute is no longer simply an internal party disagreement—it has become a closely watched political and legal battle that could have significant consequences for the state’s next election.
