Ibadan North Fed Constituency 2027: APC Chieftain Writes Party Nat’l Chairman, Demands ‘Direct Primaries’ As Reports Indicate Party Members ‘Vehemently’ Reject Implosion

Tunde Adeyemo,
Ibadan, Oyo State.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibadan North Federal Constituency, Honourable Akeem Adebiyi, has formally petitioned the party’s national chairman, Professor Yiwaltda Nentawe, requesting that the APC adopt direct primaries to select its standard bearers for the 2027 general elections in the federal constituency.

In a letter dated 30 March 2026 and copied to the Oyo State APC chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo Alake, and the Ibadan North LGA, chairman, Engr. Bayo Salami, the local party official, Akeem Adebiyi, argues that direct primaries are necessary to safeguard the party’s electoral fortunes in the constituency.

Citing the 2026 amendment to the Electoral Act, which permits either consensus arrangements or direct primaries for candidate selection, Adebiyi insists that the constituency’s demographics and voting patterns favour a transparent, broad-based selection process. He highlighted Ibadan North’s strategic importance in Oyo State—pointing out that the constituency contains major institutions including the University of Ibadan, The Polytechnic, NISER, University College Hospital, and the state secretariat, and boasts the state’s highest number of registered voters at 272,132.

The letter also recounts recent history to make its case. Adebiyi recalled that the APC’s consensus-selected candidate lost the August 16, 2025 by-election in the constituency to the PDP, describing the defeat as “humiliating and unprecedented” and attaching documentation to that effect. By contrast, he said the party’s 2023 candidate, the late Hon. Musiliudeen Olaide Akinremi, was chosen through transparent indirect primaries and subsequently won the seat.

Arguing that direct primaries would make party members feel included and help produce the most popular and credible candidates, Adebiyi noted the APC’s local membership stands at 5,463 according to INEC records—an electorate small enough to make direct primaries manageable. He said such a process would reduce intra-party tensions by ensuring that “justice is perceived to have been done.”

The petitioner asked the national leadership to give the request “favourable consideration.”

Attempts to reach local party leaders for comment on the letter were not immediately successful. The national and state party chairmen were yet to respond publicly to the request as of filing time.

The letter reads:”A REQUEST FOR THE CONDUCT OF DIRECT PRIMARIES FOR THE ELECTION OF THE PARTY’S STANDARD BEARERS IN THE 2027 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN IBADAN NORTH FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
PREAMBLES:

Whereas, the new Electoral Act of 2026 as amended stipulates that the emergence of candidates as standard bearers of the existing political parties should be carried out through “consensus arrangement or direct primaries”. In both cases, it is further recommended that justice and fairness must be ensured. Considering the peculiarity of each constituency, the available options differs a lot.

Ibadan North Local Government is a very important local government in Oyo State.  And, the local government area has the twin advantage of swing positioning in electioneering. In other words, it determines where the overall pendulum of electoral victory shifts to, in several election cycles in Oyo state. Interestingly, Ibadan North Federal Constituency has the highest number of registered voters in Oyo State (272,132).Hence, we cannot afford gambling with our winning streaks in the local government.

In our Federal Constituency, majority of the stakeholders, social influencers and opinion moulders are not favourably disposed towards the idea of selecting the candidates through the consensus arrangement. This is predicated on the reasoning that Ibadan North Federal Constituency is largely inhabited by the elites (serving and retired bureaucrats) whose participation in politics and electioneering is characterised and driven by robust and fine ideological orientations. To wit the foremost centre of learning and premier tertiary institution, University of Ibadan, The Polytechnic, National Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), University College Hospital (UCH),The Dominican Catholic University, Oyo State Government Secretariat and Bodija International Market are located within the territory of Ibadan North LGA. It would interest you to note that the majority of the personnel or workforce in these institutions are resident in the local government area. Their impacts on the constituency’s body polity and elections are real.

Therefore, we earnestly recommend the conduct of direct primaries for the emergence of our party’s standard bearers in the 2027 general elections based on the above narratives and avoidance of electoral failure.

OUR BITTER EXPERIENCES
At this juncture, it is worth stating additional reasons why direct primaries option is suitable for our Federal Constituency.

In retrospect, the party’s candidate was selected through a consensus arrangement in the 2025 August 16 by-elections in our Federal Constituency. Though, an harrowing experience, it is on record today that our party, APC, suffered an humiliating and unprecedented defeat in the hands of the PDP candidate in that electoral contest, see the attached annexure 1).

In contrast, our candidate for the 2023 Federal Constituency election was elected through a transparent, and open indirect primaries as conducted. Our candidate in the exercise, Late Hon. Musiliudeen Olaide Akinremi of blessed memory won the subsequent inter party elections convincingly, see the attached Annexure 2

WAY FORWARD
The merits inherent in the conduct of “Direct Primaries” in Ibadan North Federal Constituency cannot be overemphasised. Indisputably, the entire members of the party shall savor the good taste of being counted worthy to have a say in the choice of their representatives in the governance system.

Furthermore, the exercise shall confer on the party the advantage of adopting a fair means of electing the most popular candidates for the general elections.

Also, the electorates and opinion molders alike shall attest to the fact that the exercise is credible, transparent and fair.

The direct primaries option shall ease off the stresses and storms that have always characterised the intra party electoral contests in as much as justice is perceived to have been done.

Meanwhile, it behoves on us to let you know that the total number of registered party members reads five thousand four hundred and sixty three (5,463) considering the statutory records with INEC. This makes the exercise of Direct primaries simple and not cumbersome (see Annexure 3)

In light of the foregoing, we shall appreciate it a lot if our request is accorded a favourable consideration.

Accept the assurances of our regards.

E-Signed: Akeem Adebiyi, APC Chieftain and Secretary, APEX Leaders’ FORUM, Ibadan North LGA.

The annexures (supplementary documents) attached.