FRESH indications have emerged that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, may have been sidelined in the evolving political permutations within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.
News Point Nigeria gathered that the development has triggered intense speculation within party ranks, particularly following Adelabu’s decision not to resign his ministerial position despite a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mandating political appointees with electoral ambitions to step down on or before the stipulated deadline.
The situation took a dramatic turn with the circulation of a controversial “unity list” allegedly detailing preferred candidates for key elective positions in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 polls.
In the widely circulated document, Senator Sharafadeen Alli was named as the party’s preferred governorship candidate, while Soji Adedeji—reportedly a relative of Zacchaeus Adedeji—was listed as the running mate.
Other prominent figures mentioned in the list include Aderemi Oseni and Yunus Akintunde for National Assembly slots.
However, the Oyo State chapter of the APC swiftly distanced itself from the document, describing it as “fake, provocative, and satanic,” and warned that it could inflame internal tensions within the party.
Reacting to the development, the party’s Publicity Secretary in Oyo State, Olawale Sadare, insisted that the list does not reflect any official position of the APC.
He stressed that the party had yet to commence its formal candidate selection process, including expressions of interest and primaries, and revealed that an investigation had been launched to identify those behind the document’s circulation.
Despite the official denial, party insiders argue that the emergence of such a list may point to ongoing behind-the-scenes negotiations and consensus-building efforts—a strategy historically associated with internal party arrangements.
Adelabu, who publicly declared his intention to contest the Oyo governorship in October 2025, had expressed strong confidence in his chances. However, recent developments appear to have significantly weakened his political standing within the party.
A political analyst and former APC chieftain, Jackson Lekan Ojo, suggested that dissatisfaction among party stakeholders over Adelabu’s performance as Minister of Power may have influenced internal deliberations.
Sources also hinted that the minister was not favourably positioned during a recent high-level meeting between President Tinubu and some governors in Lagos, where discussions reportedly touched on security matters and early political alignments for the 2027 elections.
While some ministers with political ambitions have complied with the presidential directive, Adelabu has remained in office—a move that has further fueled speculation about his prospects.
His media aide, Bolaji Tunji, maintained that the minister has no intention of resigning, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
However, credible party sources indicate that Adelabu may have effectively fallen out of favour as political realignments gather momentum ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Meanwhile, at least three ministers have already resigned from the Federal Executive Council to pursue elective positions in compliance with the directive.
They include the Minister of Transportation, Saidu Ahmed Alkali; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; and the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu.