Television Nigerian

Hon. Adedeji Dhikrullahi Stanley Olajide, also known as Odidiomo, the member of the House of Representatives for the Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West federal constituency of Oyo state, has declared his full support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, also known as “Don,” ahead of the August 16 bye-election for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency seat.

Olajide, the head of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, said in a statement released by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Tolu Mustapha, that the PDP candidate is a dynamic and seasoned politician who can provide high-quality representation for the residents of Oyo State’s Ibadan North federal constituency.

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At a strategic stakeholders’ meeting, Olajide urged party members and constituency residents to support Oyekunle, emphasizing that continuity of purposeful representation must not be interrupted, while presenting campaign materials donated by the two-term PDP lawmaker in support of the by-election.

Hon. Don has been tried and trusted, he remarked. He has served the people of Oyo State as a former member of the House of Assembly and most recently, as Deputy Chief of Staff to the executive Governor of Oyo state. Most significantly, he supports Governor Seyi Makinde’s aim for rapid growth and is knowledgeable about the terrain and governance. All of us must help him.

A win for Oyekunle would solidify the PDP’s hold on Ibadanland and bolster the state’s representation in the National Assembly, Olajide said in the statement, emphasizing the need of cooperation between the two adjacent federal constituencies.

He said the late occupant of the seat, Hon. Musiliudeen Olaide Akinremi (Jagaban), served diligently before his sudden demise and deserves to be succeeded by a candidate who will sustain quality representation.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) scheduled the by-election for August 16, 2025, after Hon. Akinremi passed away in July 2024. The seat has remained vacant since then and political parties are intensifying efforts to win the strategic constituency.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC), however Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, acknowledged that the ADC will not win much of the 2027 election.
According to reports, Keyamo stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program, when he also criticized Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, for not being able to reach the north and win votes like Bola Tinubu, the current president.
Keyamo stated that Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have established political structures in the north, unlike the ADC.

While listing the three factors he felt worked in favour of Peter Obi in 2023, Keyamo noted that the attempt to make the Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate a deputy to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, would collapse the factors.

He said, “They are going nowhere in terms of demography.

“I like what is happening; they are putting us on our toes; it is going to make us work harder, but the numbers are not looking good for them.

“This so-called ADC, in 2027, what they are working on is to bring Peter Obi and Atiku (Abubakar) together to join those numbers and beat our over eight million votes.

“Let me tell you why it is wrong. If you make Peter Obi the deputy to Atiku, three demographic factors delivered Peter Obi in 2023, but the three will collapse.

“The other candidates were Muslims, and so there was only one Christian candidate, and the Christians went to one candidate.

“The South-East felt cheated, so the South-East went to one point because of the Igbo man.

“And the third demography: the Obidients, young Nigerians who felt they were angry, they wanted a younger person and all of that because the other candidates were older than him (Obi).

“If you put Peter Obi this time as president, he cannot penetrate the north. We have our structures in the north. We have governors and our structures in the north.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released the official timeline and program of operations for the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, including crucial dates and processes for hopefuls and party members.
The timetable, signed by Sulaiman Argungu, the party’s National Organising Secretary, and released on APC’s official 𝕏 Twitter on Friday, covers the timeline leading up to the governorship poll on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
The election process began on Friday, July 25, 2025, with the Notice of Election to the State Chapter, followed by the Update of Membership Register, which began on July 28, 2025 and ends on Friday, August 15, 2025.

The APC highlighted the fact that “only members whose names appear on the register and are up to date in paying their membership dues will be eligible to vote and be voted for.”

The sale of nomination and expression of interest forms for the governorship will begin on Monday, August 18 and end on Monday, September 2, 2025. Completed paperwork and delegation forms must be submitted by Thursday, September 11, 2025.

Screening, Delegates Congress, and Primaries
According to the release, aspirants will be screened between Tuesday, September 23, and Wednesday, September 24, 2025, with results being revealed on Friday, September 25, 2025.

Appeals against screening findings must be submitted by Saturday, September 26, 2025.

The Delegate Congress will take place on Thursday, October 2, 2025, followed by the Delegate Congress Appeal on Friday, October 3, 2025.

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The party’s gubernatorial primary election is slated for Monday, October 27, 2025, with appeals hearings taking place between Wednesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 30, 2025.

On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, a congress will convene to ratify the results of the gubernatorial primary election in accordance with the 2022 Election Act.

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Aspirants will be able to gather access codes for online form submissions beginning Monday, November 10, 2025, with the list of nominated candidates being presented to the National Working Committee (NWC) by Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

The final candidate list for posting to the INEC portal must be completed by Friday, January 16, 2026.

Campaign activities begin on Monday, April 6, 2026, with the grand finale scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2026, two days before the election.

The cost of nomination forms
The APC estimated that governorship nomination forms would cost ₦50 million, including ₦10 million for the Expression of Interest form and ₦40 million for the Nomination Form.

Female aspirants and people with disabilities only need to pay for the Expression of Interest form; the Nomination Form will be provided for free.

Aspirants aged 25 to 40 will pay for the Expression of Interest form but receive a 50% discount on the Nomination Form.

The delegate form costs ₦5,000 and requires financial participation in the party for at least three months before to the congress, with a monthly contribution of at least ₦200.

In 2027, the All Progressives Congress Youth Parliament, North-East Zone, has backed Tinubu/Shettima’s combined ticket. The party says it would continue to push the ticket with unwavering resolve because everyone has tried and trusted it.

According to Kabiru Kobi, the group’s chairman, who spoke at a press conference in Bauchi on Friday, the country’s recent events, in which certain malicious elements and vested interest groups are stoking discontent within the party’s conduit by fabricating a conspiracy theory with the sole intent of replacing Vice-President Kashim Shettima, are a sign of deeper divisions that could eventually consume the party.

“The meeting has noted with the utmost dismay and consternation that tension is rising within the APC and that it signals a brewing storm that could shake the foundation of this giant party ahead of 2027 elections,” he stated.

History has demonstrated that political parties, regardless of their strength, are susceptible to implosion when internal strife is allowed to continue unchecked. He claims that a house that was once based on mutual understanding, unity, and shared ambition is now on the verge of discord, with obvious cracks endangering its very stability.

“We came together today, under this platform, not only to reassess our very foundation, but also to join in imagination to a common purpose and to take bold steps not only to overcome our current challenges, but also to achieve greater APC project in 2027, devoid of any resentment of whatever cause, after closely observing certain developments that suddenly start to rear their ugly head within the affairs of our party, the APC.”

Regrettably, dissenting voices are becoming more and more prevalent in all political arenas, which fuels conjecture about the whereabouts of Vice President Kashim Shettima. For the APC, the rumor that a key member of the party’s leadership structure will be removed is like stripping a man naked in the middle of the market; such a nefarious and clandestine action will undoubtedly be met with peaceful opposition from all well-meaning people, not just those who are members of our enormous party.

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“We have witnessed this political scheming before, and it has always been ineffective; the strangling of powerful voices frequently leads to conflicts that damage party unity. This conspiracy agenda’s reappearance serves as a reminder of the lesson learned from the past: the shadowy plots by certain coalitions to remove the vice president caused internal strife, which shattered powerful political alliances, bred distrust among the high-ranking officials, and followed its course to haunt the party’s decision, which ultimately resulted in the overt defeat of the ruling party in 2015.

In light of this, we would like to make it clear that any attempt to defeat His Excellency Bola Ahmad Tinubu and Kashim Shettima’s joint ticket in 2027 will only fuel animosity that may persist after the elections due to the potential negative fallout from the party’s victory. History is not patient with those who choose to disregard its lessons, and it is not concealed that the PDP’s past deeds continue to plague the party in the nation today.

“With the 2027 elections approaching, it is important to consider several important concerns as the APC navigates these turbulent waters: Will the party be able to withstand the plotting of those fifth columnists within, who discovered a way to employ conspiracy theory to undermine the long-term gains made? Should we ignore the lessons learned from the past by letting some important players’ sense of thinking about the dangers ahead be clouded by excessive ambition?

“As everyone is aware, Tinubu’s administration inherited a declining economy and low revenue, but they were committed to address these issues through a number of reforms based on the Renewed Hope agenda, whose strong economic team is led by His Excellency Kashim Shettima. However, these political raiders chose to team up in the shadows and aim their arrows at the Economic Ship’s captain rather than focusing on and supporting these practical accomplishments.

We want to let His Excellency, our dynamic and well-liked leader, Bola Ahmad Tinubu, know that the entire calculated ingrate is targeting you, not the vice president, at this point. By displaying hypocrisy, the attackers hope to force Kashim Shettima to be replaced by someone whose political reputation is already in jeopardy. Knowing full well that, Vice President Kashim Shettima would persuade all of his supporters to live in harmony with God, which would be a turning point in your ability to face the anger of the Nigerian people since God, in his just nature, detests injustice.

His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has grand ambitions to free the nation from the bonds of poor leadership, shaky economic policies, and excessive greed, is someone we think deserves our trust. We observed and valued his emphasis on the necessity of making tough choices and facing economic realities, which may make people uncomfortable in the short term but are necessary for long-term stability and economic success. Thus, we all recognize the necessity of uniting our support to help them create a true nation for us that has all the necessary resources to compete with others in terms of progress at all consequences.

“We are finally announcing our unwavering commitment to supporting Tinubu/Kashim’s joint ticket in 2027, and we will keep pushing this ideal precedent with unwavering determination.” According to him, this is because everyone has tested and trusted the ticket.