The crisis surrounding the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Ogun State has deepened after former aspirant Abayomi Hunye questioned how the party could have suspended him on April 7, 2026, only to subsequently collect ₦50 million from him for governorship nomination documents, screen him and clear him to participate in its primary election.
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Hunye raised the questions on Tuesday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following the APC national leadership’s declaration that he remained suspended from the party and had no authority to present himself as its candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.
The APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, had said Hunye was suspended on April 7 following a petition originating from Tube Ward in Ipokia Local Government Area.
According to the party, the suspension was ratified by the relevant local party structures and approved by the Ogun State Working Committee.
The APC also reaffirmed Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as its duly nominated governorship candidate, insisting that his particulars and those of his running mate had already been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Hunye, however, said the timeline presented by the party raised fundamental questions.
“If they agreed on the consensus arrangement, why was the form sold to me? I got the form for 50 million naira,” he said.
“I have the receipt. I got the nomination form and the expression of interest form, filled everything out, and returned them. I was invited for screening. On the screening list, my number is 52. Yayi’s number is 53.”
He questioned why the APC would continue treating him as a governorship aspirant several weeks after the date on which the party now says he had already been suspended.
“How can you be suspended on April 7, and on April 28, you collected money from me and gave me a form? And on May 15, you asked me to come for screening,” Hunye said.
The aspirant maintained that he was never formally notified of the alleged suspension and said the party should produce evidence showing that appropriate disciplinary procedures were followed.
He also denied claims that he had been publicly parading himself as the APC’s recognised candidate.
According to Hunye, his position is that the process which produced Adeola should be subjected to judicial scrutiny and that he would accept whatever determination is eventually reached by the court.
The controversy dates back to the APC governorship primary conducted in May, which produced Adeola as the party’s candidate.
Hunye participated in the process but was recorded as having scored zero votes, an outcome he subsequently rejected.
He argued that it was implausible for him to have obtained the nomination documents, undergone screening and participated in the contest without receiving a single vote.
Hunye subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to challenge the process that produced Adeola.
He has maintained that his decision to go to court is an attempt to enforce what he considers his rights within the party rather than an effort to undermine the APC.
The APC, however, has taken a considerably different position.
Basiru described Hunye as an “impostor” and maintained that because of his suspension, he lacked authority to represent or act on behalf of the APC.
The party said Adeola remained its duly nominated and recognised candidate for the January 2027 Ogun governorship election.
The APC also warned individuals and organisations against dealing with Hunye on the assumption that he represents the party in the governorship contest.
The dispute has since moved beyond party statements.
The APC has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and security authorities, seeking an investigation of Hunye over alleged impersonation and claims that he had presented himself as the party’s governorship candidate.
The party alleged in the petition that such representations could mislead the public and create political tension in Ogun State.
Hunye, however, rejected the allegation of impersonation during his television appearance.
“I have never said I am the candidate. I am challenging the result in court,” he said.
He maintained that the courts should determine the issues surrounding the primary and said he would abide by the eventual judicial decision.
“I want justice. Let the court decide. Whatever the outcome, I will accept it,” he said.
The controversy is further complicated by events preceding the primary.
On April 13, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun publicly announced Adeola as the preferred governorship candidate of the APC.
That announcement came six days after the April 7 date on which the party now says Hunye had been suspended, but before Hunye says he purchased his nomination documents on April 28.
Hunye has questioned the consensus process, arguing that aspirants ought to have been consulted and any agreement properly documented.
He insists that despite the preference expressed for Adeola, the party subsequently accepted his ₦50 million, screened him and allowed him to participate in the governorship selection process.
The dispute therefore raises separate questions now likely to feature in the pending litigation: the status and effect of Hunye’s alleged suspension, his subsequent screening and clearance, and the validity of the process that produced the APC’s recognised candidate.
For now, the APC maintains that Adeola is its candidate, while Hunye insists that the controversy surrounding the primary remains subject to determination by the Federal High Court.
No court has yet determined the merits of Hunye’s challenge or invalidated Adeola’s nomination.
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