Adelabu dumps APC after losing governorship ticket to Teslim Folarin

Adebayo Adelabu, a governorship hopeful in Oyo state, has announced the resignation of his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lost the APC governorship primary, held on Friday, to Teslim Folarin, senator representing Oyo central, by more than 600 votes.

At the rescheduled party primary held at the Obafemi Awolowo stadium, Folarin polled 954 votes to beat Adelabu, who scored 327 votes.

While announcing the result of the primary, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, who supervised the election, said Akeem Agbaje secured 15 votes while another hopeful, Hakeem Alao, got six votes.

However, Adelabu’s loyalists had alleged that the delegates’ list was doctored.

Speaking on Sunday during an emergency meeting with his supporters at his campaign office in Ibadan, the Oyo capital, the governorship hopeful said APC in the state has been hijacked by “outsiders”.

He, however, said he would still contest the governorship election.

According to him, he is still “consulting with his followers from the 33 LGAs of the state” and will soon announce the party through which he will contest the 2023 governorship poll.

Adelabu was the Oyo governorship candidate of the APC in the 2019 election, but lost by a wide margin to Seyi Makinde, the present governor of the state.