Oluyole APC primary crisis deepens as Gbolagade sues party

By Adejayan Gbenga

The crisis surrounding the All Progressives Congress primary election for the Oluyole Federal Constituency in Oyo State has moved to the courtroom, as one of the aspirants, Honorable Abiodun Gbolagade, filed a suit at the Federal High Court challenging the emergence of the incumbent lawmaker, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.

Addressing journalists in Ibadan, Gbolagade maintained that he won the primary election and urged the court to restore what he described as the mandate freely given to him by APC members in the constituency. He insisted that the exercise was conducted in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s guidelines.

According to him, the primary was conducted through the direct primary system, with coalition centres established across the constituency for the collation of results. He said all aspirants were informed of the approved centres before the election and alleged that every contestant participated in the exercise except Akande-Sadipe.

Gbolagade claimed that the results were collated at the party office, where he was declared the winner. He alleged that he polled 2,315 votes, while Akande-Sadipe secured 33 votes, adding that the outcome reflected the wishes of APC members in the constituency.

However, he said reports later emerged online declaring the incumbent lawmaker the winner of the primary. He described the reports as false and alleged that the election results were manipulated after the exercise had been concluded.

Meanwhile, Gbolagade said he and his supporters chose to seek legal redress instead of resorting to self-help. He expressed confidence that the judiciary would uphold the integrity of the electoral process and protect what he described as the valid mandate of party members.

He also alleged that attempts by court officials to serve Akande-Sadipe with court processes had been unsuccessful, claiming that she could no longer be found at her known residence within the constituency. Nevertheless, he said he remained optimistic that the court would resolve the dispute in accordance with the law.

As of press time, Akande-Sadipe had not publicly responded to the allegations or the court action challenging her emergence as the APC candidate. The outcome of the suit is expected to determine who will eventually fly the party’s flag for the Oluyole Federal Constituency in the 2027 general election.