Oyo 2027: who takes Agodi? Makinde's pick runs on the APM as the APC's Alli and 14 others chase his seat
Sixteen candidates are on INEC's final list for Oyo governor. Governor Seyi Makinde backs Bimbo Adekanmbi of the APM, the APC fields Senator Sharafadeen Alli, and the PDP has Hazeem Gbolarumi. And Oyo has a long habit of rejecting the establishment's choice.
The field: INEC released its final list of 16 Oyo governorship candidates on 10 October 2026. The main names: Bimbo Adekanmbi (APM), Senator Sharafadeen Alli (APC), Hazeem Gbolarumi (PDP) and Oriyomi Hamzat (Accord).
Makinde's pick: the governor backs Adekanmbi, the APM's consensus candidate, as his successor, rather than running his camp on the PDP that won him two terms. He has defended the choice, saying party colour does not matter.
Why the APM: on 30 April the Supreme Court, by a 3–2 majority, voided the PDP's November 2025 national convention in Ibadan, a setback for the Makinde-backed faction. The state APM chairman has spoken of a partnership between the PDP and the APM.
The challenger: the APC, out of power in Oyo since 2019, is fielding Senator Sharafadeen Alli to win back Agodi Government House.
History: Oyo has a reputation for rejecting the establishment's choice. Governor Lam Adesina lost his re-election bid in 2003, Abiola Ajimobi unseated Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2011, and in 2019 Makinde beat Adebayo Adelabu, the candidate backed by outgoing governor Ajimobi.
Sources
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