- PDP stakeholders in Oyo reportedly endorsed Debo Akande for the party’s 2027 governorship ticket
- Sources dismissed reports claiming Bimbo Adekanmbi and Akinade Fijabi emerged as preferred aspirants
- Former Speaker Monsurat Sunmonu reportedly backed Akande during the closed-door consultations
Key stakeholders within the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State have reportedly thrown their support behind Debo Akande as the party’s preferred governorship aspirant ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development followed a high-level consultative meeting held in Ibadan, where party leaders and stakeholders deliberated on possible candidates for the upcoming governorship race.
Earlier reports had suggested that two other aspirants, Bimbo Adekanmbi and Akinade Fijabi, emerged as the leading choices during the meeting. However, sources familiar with the closed-door discussions dismissed those claims, describing them as inaccurate and inconsistent with the actual outcome of the consultations.
“The story that Fijabi and Adekanmbi were the final two is a fabrication,” a party source reportedly stated. “It was designed to launder a decision made outside the room.”
According to insiders, Akande consistently received the highest level of support throughout the consultation process. During the initial inner caucus deliberations, he reportedly secured three votes on the first day before increasing his tally to four votes on the second day.
Sources further disclosed that when the consultations were expanded to include 21 influential stakeholders, Akande allegedly received support from 20 participants, a result described as a near-unanimous endorsement by party leaders.
Participants at the meeting reportedly cited Akande’s political experience, competence and loyalty to the PDP as major reasons for backing his potential candidacy.
Former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Monsurat Sunmonu, was also said to have openly supported Akande during the deliberations.
“The only person who has contributed and sacrificed so much for this government is Dr Debo Akande,” Sunmonu was quoted as saying during the meeting.
According to sources, she maintained her support for Akande throughout the discussions despite alleged attempts by some political interests to promote another aspirant ahead of him.
There are also indications that some influential figures within the party may attempt to overturn the apparent consensus reached during the meeting in favour of another candidate ahead of the PDP governorship primaries.
Supporters of Akande, however, insisted that he remained the most credible and electable option for the party, citing his contributions to governance, grassroots popularity and longstanding commitment to the PDP in Oyo State.