Senator Sharafadeen Alli, is one of the leading gubernatorial aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections. He is currently a first time senator for the Oyo South district of Oyo state.

He is among the aspirants facing the uphill task of dislodging the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)-led government in the state.

By credentials, he is the most experienced in terms of politicking and public office holding as he had served as a Chairman of the Ibadan North local government: Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in the administration of Governor Rashidi Ladoja (now Olubadan of Ibadanland): Chief of Staff to the government: Chairman of the Odu’a Investment Company Limited; and currently the serving Senator for his district.

By social standing, he is one of the High Chiefs of the Olubadan and a member of the Olubadan-in-Council. He is the present Eekarun Balogun of Ibadanland.

He has declared his interest to vie and occupy the Agodi Government House in 2027, poised to frustrate the incumbent PDP administration of Governor Seyi Makinde and his 3.0 agenda. Many aspirants, prior to Alli’s April 3, 2026, declaration at the Yemetu Police Playing Ground, have been touted to vie for the position, but the coast has not been clear for some of them, while some have decided to dump the gubernatorial race for other political offices.

Among those who had indicated interest are: Chief Adebayo Adelabu (the Minister of Power); Hon. Remi Oseni (incumbent House of Representatives member representing Ido/Eruwa Federal constituency; Chief Adebayo Shittu (former Minister for Communication); Senator Teslim Folarin (former gubernatorial candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party), among others.

The list has however begun to reduce with the directives from President Bola Tinubu, supported by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) that any political appointee aspiring for political offices should resign his or her appointment to pursue their ambitions.

While some appointees re- signed from their various political offices, in obedience to the deadline given by the President, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, did not resign immediately, apparently to put his house in order with regard to the poor and epileptic power supply which many felt would not help his ambition.

With the President Tinubu’s release of massive ₦3.3 trillion ($2+ billion) payment plan to settle long-standing debts in Nigeria’s power sector as part of a renewed effort to revamp the industry, and reports from some quarters that power supply has improved a bit in the last two weeks, Adelabu might feel that he has improved his standing in the minds of Nigerians, especially, Oyo residents, and that he would be accepted and voted for.

Another leading aspirant, Senator Teslim Folarin, who has been touted to still nurse the ambition, appears to be focusing on the Renewed Hope Agenda which President appointed him to chair where he is serving as its Ambassador in Oyo State.

During the declaration of Alli, Adelabu was in attendance, suggesting that he was ready to support the senator, and might have dumped his own ambition to run for governor. Similarly, the presence of Folarin and Hon. Remi Oseni, laid to rest their ambition to vie for the seat.

Osenis loyalists have disclosed that he now eyes the Senate. Oseni, at the event, drummed support for the candidacy of Alli as the standard bearer of the party, as he counsel Ed relevant stakeholders to close ranks by ensuring the success of the party in the 2027 general elections.

Though, the rumour mill was awash about a month ago that Senator Alli had been endorsed by President Tinubu and wife of the late Oyo State governor, Mrs. Florence Tinubu, during their meetings in Lagos, the uproar generated from the news caused some disaffection among party faithful and other aspirants who believed they also had the right to contest.

The news stirred up controversies as some members insisted on direct primaries in choosing candidates for elective positions in 2027. The result of this might be the reason some stakeholders including Amb. Florence Ajimobi, Senator Fatai Buhari, Senator Yunus Akintunde and a host of others shunned the declaration of interest by Alli last Friday.

Nevertheless, the likes of Senator Ayo Adeseun, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Hon. Remi Oseni, Hon. Akeem Adeyemi (Oyo Central representative), the former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Iyiola Oladokun, and hundreds of stakeholders from the 33 local government areas of the state, were in attendance.

In spite of the apparent discontent among some stakeholders, Alli, in his address during the declaration, stated that there was no division among the membership of the party in all the 33 local government areas of the state. To him, the unity puts the party at a vantage position to oust the PDP from office in 2027.

He described his governorship ambition as a “call to service, disclosing that he decided to run after listening patiently to the voices of the people; after consulting widely with the leaders and stakeholders, traditional rulers and citizens across every zone of our beloved state. “I stand before you to declare boldly, clearly and without hesitation my intention, to contest for the office of governor of Oyo State in the upcoming 2027 general election.

This is not about ambition alone, it is about responsibility, It is about service, It is about the future and prosperity of the good people of Oyo State. “My journey in public service has never been about titles but an unrepentant quest for impact and progress.

As Chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, we brought government closer to the people; strengthened institutions, improved infrastructure and ensured that governance was not distant, but present, visible and meaningful to the most populous local government in the state as its first democratically-elected Chairman in 1991.

“As Secretary to the Oyo State Government, I served tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that government worked for the people. Policies were not merely written, they were implemented. Decisions were not simply announced, they were felt in the lives of ordinary citizens. “As Chief of Staff to our father, Governor Rashidi Ladoja, I stood at the centre of governance, coordinating, aligning and ensuring that leadership and administrative acumen translated to action.

And today, as Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, I have continued to raise my voice, not for myself, but for our people through legislation, advocacy and interventions that touch lives across various strata of our economy.

“Your servant, your friend, your brother, your son and loyalist, Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli is not perfect, but proven accountable at all times, and I will continue to be the same person you have always known”, he said. Alli, a lawyer by profession, seized the opportunity of his declaration to showcase his agenda for the people of the state.

The current state of education in the state (as released by various assessments body), according to him, “is not good as expected of a state with many firsts. Education is not merely the transfer of knowledge, but the transformation of minds, he asserted. “We must build schools that are hubs of innovation, not just classrooms where dreams die. As the Chinese philosopher Confucius advised: ‘If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.

If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.’ We must plan not just for our tenure, but for generations yet unborn,” he said. He also x-rayed his agenda for healthcare, infrastructure, economic empowerment, agricultural renaissance, digital transformation, while also promising civil service reforms for efficient civil service delivery.

With the report that Chief Adelabu has met with President Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, and many other reputable stakeholders and leaders of the party, announcing his ambition to contest, it is not clear whether the acclaimed endorsement of Senator Alli by the president, with Oba Ladoja’s involvement, will not be swayed with Adelabu’s joining the fray.

Could the President have taken a detour on his purported support for Oba Ladoja and Alli based on the uproar created by the controversial pronouncement of Alli as a beaded crown-wearing Oba by Makinde, and the implication of his non-qualification to further get involved in politics in line with the amended Oyo State Chieftaincy Law? To the government, whether Alli presented himself for the crowning on April 3 or not does not matter.

Since he was pronounced in accordance with section 20 of the law, he must cease from participating in active politics. If he presents himself for the election as governor of Oyo State, he would be running foul of the state law.

To Alli’s supporters, however, any state law which is inconsistent with the federal law being run under the 1999 Constitution, is by the fact of its inconsistency, null and void and of no consequence. Since the 1999 Constitution does not ban him from seeking any political office as a High Chief or ceremonially-crowned Oba, that of the state should not, they have posited.

Or could it be that President Tinubu gave Adelabu a blessing for him and Alli to slug it out together in line with the direct primary agitation of some stakeholders, including aspirants like Barr. Akeem Agbaje, in the state? Or he back-pedalled to douse the tension on allegation of his imposition of Alli on the APC members in the state? Whether consensus arrangement will still be applied like it happened in Ogun state last week, or full direct primary will be employed, will be known in a matter of weeks.

The fear among many APC stalwarts, however, is that the party might eventually lose to the PDP or whichever party Makinde defects to, if they fail to put their acts together