The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Chief Taofeek Adegboyega Adegoke, has reaffirmed that he remains the party’s authentic candidate for the 2027 election, dismissing a rival claim to the ticket by fellow aspirant Gbemileke Alagbe.
Adegoke’s declaration came in response to claims by Alagbe, one of the ADC’s governorship aspirants, who reportedly stated a day earlier that he was the party’s candidate for the 2027 general elections. Adegoke, who also holds the traditional title of Aare Egbe Omo Balogun of Ibadanland, dismissed Alagbe’s claim on the ticket as “mere wishful thinking,” noting that a political party’s candidate is not determined by who makes the loudest declaration.
According to Adegoke, he polled a total of 16,051 votes to emerge as the party’s candidate, while Bisi Ilaka scored 11,415 votes, Alagbe got 241 votes, Azeez Adeduntan scored 155 votes and Niyi Aborisade got 67 votes.
Adegoke, a prominent Ibadan traditional chief and businessman, secured the ADC’s governorship ticket for Oyo State at the party’s primary election held in May 2026, defeating other aspirants including Adebisi Ilaka in a keenly contested exercise witnessed by party stakeholders and delegates across the state. Announcing the results, the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Rasak Salinsile, disclosed that Adegoke polled 16,051 votes to Ilaka’s 11,415, with Alagbe placing third with 241 votes, followed by former Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, with 155 votes, and Niyi Aborisade with 67 votes.
Speaking after his victory, Adegoke thanked party delegates and members for the confidence reposed in him, describing it as a collective mandate to reposition Oyo State, and extended “a hand of fellowship” to the other contestants, urging them to work together to build a stronger and more united ADC. He pledged that, if elected governor, his administration would prioritise infrastructural renewal, security, healthcare delivery, quality education and road rehabilitation across the state.
The dispute comes just a day before Oyo’s neighbouring state, Osun, holds its own governorship election on Saturday, August 15, 2026, an election in which INEC recently added the Social Democratic Party’s candidate, Francis Ajala, and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, to the ballot, raising the total number of contesting parties to 15. While that development concerns Osun rather than Oyo, it underscores that political parties across the South-West are actively firming up their electoral structures ahead of the 2027 general elections cycle.
Adegoke has kept a visible public profile in the run-up to the polls, including being photographed buying and eating roasted corn at a roadside stall in early August 2026, an image that drew attention on social media.
With Adegoke and Alagbe both laying claim to the ADC’s Oyo governorship ticket, the disagreement may need to be resolved by the party’s leadership or, if it escalates, through INEC or the courts, as has occurred in similar intra-party disputes elsewhere in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections. Neither Alagbe nor the ADC’s national leadership has yet issued a public statement responding directly to Adegoke’s remarks.
