The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Dr Alagbe Gbemileke, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Mr Taofeek Adegoke ’s name from its portal as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election and restore his candidacy.

Alagbe made the demand on Saturday at a press conference in Ibadan, where he rejected what he described as the “fraudulent substitution” of his candidacy after the party’s governorship primary.

He insisted that he emerged winner of the ADC direct primary conducted on May 22, 2026, across the 351 wards in Oyo State, claiming that the exercise was monitored by INEC officials.

According to him, he secured 15,616 votes, while Chief Aborisade Niyi polled 4,307 votes. Dr Adeduntan Azeez and Adegoke recorded 500 votes each, while Ilaka Oyebisi scored 90 votes.

Alagbe said the results were subsequently collated at Prof. Olajuwon Olaide Hall, Alumni Building, University of Ibadan, and documented in an official report signed by INEC monitors and party officials.

He said the report was forwarded to INEC’s national headquarters through a letter dated July 27, 2026, signed by the ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and received by the commission on July 28.

He, however, alleged that his name was later replaced with that of Adegoke under what he described as a “parallel consensus arrangement.”

Alagbe described the alleged substitution as a violation of the democratic mandate given to him by party members, insisting that he neither withdrew from the race nor consented to the replacement of his name.

He also expressed concern that INEC had uploaded Adegoke’s name on its official portal as the ADC governorship candidate despite an ongoing legal challenge to the substitution.

The aspirant urged the commission to review the development and restore his name as the party’s candidate.

“I call upon INEC, the custodian of Nigeria’s electoral integrity, to immediately rectify this injustice by removing the fraudulent name from its portal and restoring my rightful position as the duly elected candidate,” he said.

Alagbe also called on the ADC leadership to respect the outcome of the primary and uphold what he described as the choice of the party’s members.

He said the dispute was not merely about his personal ambition but about protecting internal party democracy and ensuring that the votes of party members were respected.

“To the people of Oyo State, I say this: This struggle is not mine alone; it is ours. It is a fight for the sanctity of your vote, for the respect of your voice, and for the preservation of democracy in our beloved state and nation. Your mandate, your choice, must be honoured,” he said.

He said he would continue to pursue the matter through lawful channels, expressing confidence that justice would prevail.

The dispute has complicated the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 Oyo State governorship election, with the party’s final candidate now subject to the outcome of the ongoing legal process.