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Abdullah Bello, an All Progressives Congress aspirant for Irepo/Orelope/Olorunsogo Federal Constituency in Oyo State, stepped down his ambition Tuesday and pledged to mobilize for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, despite maintaining that irregularities marred the primary process that produced his constituency’s candidate.
Bello disclosed the decision in a statement issued in Ibadan, saying it followed a reconciliation meeting the APC National Chairman and National Working Committee convened with roughly 42 aspirants from across the state’s 33 local government areas. According to Bello, the NWC acknowledged responsibility during that meeting for what he described as “manifest irregularities and injustices that characterised the nomination exercise,” placing on record that no candidate in the state emerged through a credible, duly conducted process.
“On Old Irepo Federal Constituency, I stated unequivocally that there was neither a primary election nor a consensus arrangement for the Federal House of Representatives or the State House of Assembly,” Bello said.
He said the NWC further acknowledged that imposition of candidates had occurred across all 33 local government areas, but argued that the candidate imposed in his own constituency “lacks the political capital and public credibility to advance our party’s ideology,” a gap he said would complicate the party’s path in the general election campaign.
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Despite those reservations, Bello said extensive consultations with stakeholders, elders, and grassroots leaders led him to subordinate his personal ambition to party unity. “I am now stepping down my ambition and mobilising for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, despite irregularities in the primary process,” he said, adding that the move should not be read as surrender or a lack of conviction. “My aspiration to serve the good people of Old Irepo Federal Constituency has, from inception, not been a do-or-die pursuit. It is a call to service,” he said.
Bello described himself as “sheathing the sword” out of deference to the National Chairman’s intervention, while stressing that doing so did not amount to legitimizing what he characterized as an injustice. He called on the party’s national leadership to take responsibility for restoring confidence among members, particularly younger supporters, and to rebuild trust and cohesion within the Oyo State chapter.
He directly addressed speculation that he might leave the party, ruling it out explicitly. “Let me state without ambiguity: I am not defecting from the APC. My commitment to the growth, stability and success of the party remains total and unshaken,” Bello said.
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Bello urged his supporters and loyalists across the state to remain calm and disciplined and to steer clear of anti-party activity. “I acknowledge your pain, your frustration and the huge sacrifices you invested in this struggle. I honour you all. Politics is not war. Vengeance multiplies injury. It does not heal,” he said.
Disputes over primary conduct have been a recurring feature of APC’s candidate selection processes across Nigerian states ahead of major election cycles, with aspirants frequently alleging that party leadership imposed preferred candidates rather than allowing competitive or consensus-based nomination exercises to proceed as required under the party’s constitution and Nigeria’s Electoral Act. The scale of the reconciliation effort described in Bello’s statement, spanning roughly 42 aspirants from all 33 of Oyo State’s local government areas, suggests the irregularities extended well beyond his own constituency, though the statement did not specify how many of those aspirants ultimately accepted similar reconciliation terms or how many continued to contest their outcomes through internal party appeals or legal challenges.
Bello’s decision to step aside without formally challenging the outcome in court or defecting to another party reflects a common resolution path for aggrieved APC aspirants who calculate that remaining within the party preserves future political standing more effectively than an extended legal or factional dispute would.
Whether the NWC’s acknowledgment of irregularities translates into any corrective action, such as candidate substitution or internal disciplinary measures against those responsible for the imposition, was not addressed in Bello’s statement.
No details were provided on the identity of the candidate ultimately imposed for Old Irepo Federal Constituency, nor did the statement indicate whether other affected aspirants across Oyo State’s 33 local government areas had reached similar reconciliation agreements with the national leadership.
