MINISTER of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has declared that he will contest the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State, insisting that it is now his turn to lead the state after years of political investment and perseverance.
News Point Nigeria reports that Adelabu, who made the declaration during a stakeholders’ engagement with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibadan, said he had “paid his dues” in the political arena and was confident that divine providence and political destiny would favor him in the coming polls.
The minister’s bold declaration, which echoed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s famous slogan “Èmi ló kàn” (It’s my turn), has stirred political conversations across Oyo State and beyond, as the race for 2027 begins to take shape.
Speaking in Yoruba during the interactive session, Adelabu expressed optimism that his time had finally come, adding that his political experiences in previous elections had prepared him for the task ahead.
“I have been on this journey for a while now. I believe it’s not the day you start politics that you begin to reap the benefits,” Adelabu said. “I have now paid my dues.
“I contested against Seyi (Makinde) in 2019 and again in 2023 when he was the sitting governor. But this 2027, God has shown that it’s my turn. It’s Adelabu’s time. Whatever belongs to Adelabu belongs to us all.”
Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), first contested for the Oyo governorship seat under the APC in 2019, but lost to the incumbent governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ahead of the 2023 elections, Adelabu defected from the APC to the Accord Party, where he again sought the governorship position but was defeated. However, he later returned to the ruling APC following his appointment as Minister of Power by President Tinubu.
At the meeting, the minister urged APC leaders, ward chairmen, and grassroots mobilizers to unite and begin early preparations to reclaim the state from the PDP in 2027.
“We must put aside our differences and begin to mobilize from house to house, day and night, to convince our people that the APC remains the only party that can guarantee development and prosperity in Oyo State,” he said.
Adelabu’s declaration has already sparked mixed reactions within the Oyo APC family, with some describing his ambition as “courageous and well-deserved,” while others cautioned that the party must focus on internal reconciliation before the primaries.
