Popular broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat wins Oyo Accord governorship ticket
By Adejayan Gbenga
Popular broadcaster and media entrepreneur, Oriyomi Hamzat, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hamzat’s emergence was announced on Tuesday by the National Deputy Secretary of the party, Abdulraman Muhammed, following the conclusion of the party’s governorship primary election.
According to Muhammed, three aspirants initially obtained the party’s nomination forms, but only Hamzat successfully completed the screening process and participated in the primary election.
According to him, the party disqualified the two other aspirants after failing to meet the conditions stipulated in the screening guidelines, adding that Hamzat was subsequently affirmed as the party’s authentic governorship candidate.
“We screened out two of them, and we found Oriyomi AbdulRahmon Hamzat as the authentic candidate and the one who won his own primaries,” Muhammed stated.
The primary, however, generated controversy after another group within the party announced Olakunle Busari as the winner of a separate governorship primary. The group claimed Busari polled 29,427 votes to defeat Hamzat, who allegedly secured 18,716 votes.
Reacting to the development, the National Organising Secretary of the Accord Party, Ibe ThankGod, dismissed reports of factionalisation within the party, insisting that Hamzat remained the only recognised governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State.
He explained that Hamzat, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Fatai Owoseni, and Olakunle Busari obtained nomination forms, but only Hamzat fulfilled all requirements within the approved timetable. According to him, Owoseni failed to submit necessary documents, while Busari appeared for screening after the deadline and was disqualified. He added that the primary that produced Hamzat was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
