Fresh uncertainty has engulfed the 2027 governorship race in Oyo State as parallel governorship candidates emerged from rival primary elections conducted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), and Accord Party, triggering fears of prolonged legal and political battles ahead of the polls.

In the ADC, two separate governorship candidates emerged from parallel primary exercises conducted in Ibadan.

At the University of Ibadan (UI), the party produced Dr. Gbemileke Alagbe, a 40-year-old banker, as its governorship candidate after a keenly contested primary election supervised by party officials.

The exercise recorded 21,600 votes cast, with Alagbe securing 15,107 votes to defeat four other aspirants. However, in a parallel development at the party secretariat in Iyaganku, a Fellow Chartered Accountant, Chief Adegboyega Adegoke, was also declared winner of another ADC governorship primary.

Chairman of the party’s primary election committee, Hon. Rasak Salinsile, announced that Adegoke polled 16,051 votes to defeat other aspirants, including Chief Bisi Ilaka, who secured 11,415 votes.

The PDP also witnessed factional divisions, with two separate governorship candidates emerging from rival camps within the party.

At the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Hazeem Gbolarumi, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate after securing a landslide victory in a primary election conducted across the 33 local government areas of the state.

Chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Election Committee in Oyo State, Hon. Tolulope Awoniyi, said Gbolarumi polled 3,615 votes to defeat Barrister Beulah Adeoye, who secured 22 votes.

Awoniyi described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and credible, noting that no formal petition was received during the process.

However, the Tanimu Turaki faction of the PDP announced Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja as its consensus governorship candidate following a separate endorsement meeting held in Ibadan.

Chairman of the consensus primaries committee, Oliver Okeke, said delegates from the 33 local government areas unanimously adopted Arapaja as the party’s standard-bearer for the election.

The Accord Party is also battling internal turmoil after two leading aspirants separately claimed victory in the party’s governorship primary election.

Hon. Olakunle Moruf Busari, popularly known as “Goodugoodu,” was declared winner of a primary election reportedly monitored by party officials and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Returning Officer of the State Collation Committee, Hon. Olayinka Dairo, announced that Busari secured 29,427 votes to emerge as the party’s governorship candidate.

According to the results announced, media entrepreneur and proprietor of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, polled 18,716 votes, while former Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, secured 11,922 votes.

However, Hamzat was also declared winner of another parallel governorship primary in a development that further deepened the crisis within the party.

As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the Accord Party had yet to issue an official clarification on the conflicting outcomes.

Meanwhile, controversy also trailed the APC governorship primary, with conflicting claims over the authenticity of the outcome despite reports that Senator Sharafadeen Alli had emerged winner.

Former Minister Adebayo Adelabu rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging widespread irregularities in parts of the state.

Similarly, a member of the party in the state, Bishop Akinkunmi Akinleye, insisted that no official declaration had been made.

“No declaration in Oyo APC yet. No winner has been declared,” he said.