By Achile Danjuma
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is reportedly moving toward a consensus arrangement to select its governorship candidates for three Southwest states in the 2027 elections.
According to party insiders, stakeholders are coalescing around Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as the party’s standard-bearer for Lagos. For Ogun State, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), who represents Ogun West and chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the preferred choice. In Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South, is being tipped for the ticket.
The decisions are said to have emerged from a meeting of APC stakeholders from the three states with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Sunday night.
President Tinubu had earlier hosted Vice President Kashim Shettima and 23 governors at his Lagos residence for Eid el-Fitr celebrations. Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that after that gathering, the President held a separate strategic session with party leaders from Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo to finalize key decisions ahead of next year’s general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
According to INEC’s timetable, political parties are required to conduct their primaries between April and May 2026, with candidates expected to emerge by the end of May.
The amended Electoral Act of 2026 permits political parties to nominate candidates through either consensus or direct primaries.