A factional governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Abayomi Hunye, has rejected the party’s reported suspension of him, alleging that the move was designed to undermine his legal challenge to the outcome of the party’s 2027 governorship primary.
Hunye made the disclosure on Tuesday while featuring on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, insisting that he remains an aspirant because the dispute over the APC governorship ticket is still before the court.
The aspirant said he had not received any formal notification of his alleged suspension, arguing that the party failed to follow due process before making the announcement public.
“If they say they have suspended me, I have not received any letter. No letter was sent to me and before you suspend anybody, there must be a panel. You must let me know what I’ve done. Then there will be a committee that will be sent out to look at that,” he said.
Hunye also questioned whether the reported suspension was a properly ratified decision of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
“I’m not sure that that information is right. I want to believe that it wasn’t a decision of the National Working Committee,” he said.
His reaction came a day after the APC NWC publicly disowned him as its 2027 governorship candidate and described him as an impostor. Hunye, however, said he had never claimed to be the party’s recognised candidate.
“I want to correct that story. I never said I was. I remain an aspirant,” he said.
He explained that he was compelled to clarify his position after reports emerged that he had withdrawn from the governorship contest following an alleged settlement.
Hunye insisted that the matter remained before the court, saying the final candidate could only be determined after judgment was delivered.
“Ogun State candidature of governorship election is still hanging at the court. The court is going to determine who becomes the candidate and the case is still on,” he said.
“That’s exactly what I said on Saturday and there is a way to verify the information that I got. I was told that I have stepped down and that they have settled me and things like that, that is why I came up to tell everybody that the case is still in court and until that judgment is delivered, no candidate is decided.”
He alleged that the suspension was intended to intimidate him into abandoning the case, but vowed to continue with the legal challenge.
“Whatever the APC likes let them do. They are trying to intimidate me so that I can drop the case and I will not,” Hunye said.
The aspirant further argued that the party’s treatment of him contradicted its earlier actions, recalling that he obtained the governorship nomination form, paid the required fees and was screened and cleared to participate in the primary.
“Even I was suspended in April. I came to the National Party Secretariat. I got a form there on 28th of April,” he said.
According to him, the party subsequently screened him and assigned him number 62, while Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, was assigned number 53.
“You screened me. And at the end of the day, you cleared me that I’m successful. And then even in the midst of all the successful candidates, I was cleared. My number was 62 and Yayi’s number was 53 and there were some there that were disqualified,” he said.
Hunye maintained that he participated in the governorship primary and questioned the result credited to him.
“So there was no withdrawal in my own name. I participated in the election and they admitted that I participated,” he said.
He said the result announced after the primary recorded zero votes for him, describing the development as one of the reasons he approached the court.
“I was not in the police station. I was not in the hospital. How will I pay 50 million naira for something, and I will be absent there. And how would they now record zero against my name,” Hunye asked.
He added that he had written to the party chairman and the relevant committee after the primary but received no satisfactory response.
“I wrote immediately. I wrote to the party chairman. I wrote to the committee. They refuse to do anything,” he said.
Hunye also alleged that his campaign billboards were being removed in Abeokuta despite the fact that his legal challenge remained pending.
“Even yesterday they started to remove all my billboards in Abeokuta when I’m still in the race, why?” he asked.
On the legal issues surrounding the APC primary, Hunye said his case also raised questions about the records and electoral history of Adeola, particularly his previous political activities in Lagos State.
He alleged that the issues before the court concerned information contained in electoral forms submitted by Adeola during previous elections. Hunye declined to provide further details, saying the matter was already before the court.
Asked whether the allegations amounted to perjury, he responded, “Yes, that is a perjury,” while stressing that he would not discuss the details of the case publicly.
Hunye further alleged that the suspension could be an attempt to challenge his legal standing in the case.
“And that is why they are bringing the issue of I have been suspended. So once that is proven that I have been suspended, then I will not be locus,” he said.
Asked whether the objective was to remove him from the case on a technical ground, Hunye replied, “Exactly, that is what they are looking for. They are looking for a technical ground to put me away. And that cannot be possible. From day one, I am prepared for that.”
He also rejected claims that the APC governorship primary was conducted after the party had already settled on a consensus candidate.
According to him, all aspirants would have had to agree to such an arrangement for it to be valid.
“Let them bring out where we had a meeting together. All other aspirants had a meeting with them. That they wanted to have a consensus,” he said.
Hunye recalled the 2018 APC governorship contest in Ogun State, saying he, Governor Dapo Abiodun and other aspirants had opposed a consensus arrangement associated with the administration of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
He argued that the eventual emergence of Abiodun was partly a result of the refusal of the aspirants to accept the arrangement at the time.
“Dapo Abiodun was against the consensus in 2018. I was part of it. I, myself, Dapo Abiodun, Senator Kaka, Jimi Lawal and Bimbo Ashiru,” he said.
“We stood on our ground and agreed that we will not agree to the consensus of Ibikunle Amosun. So Dapo Abiodun is a product of the same thing. If we have agreed, Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade (Triple A) would have been the governor,” Hunye added.
He also explained his decision to unveil a running mate, saying it was part of his strategy to demonstrate continued participation in the electoral process while his case remained before the court.
Hunye cited Section 285 of the Constitution, as amended, arguing that a person must participate in all stages of an election before an election tribunal can declare such a person the winner.
“We have passed the stage of primaries now. They are in the stage of campaign. I just have to participate,” he said.
Despite the dispute, Hunye said he remained confident in the judiciary and would accept the eventual judgment.
“I want to assure you that I believe in judiciary. They are going to do the best in whatever judgement that will be delivered and it will take a good faith,” he said.
He also promised to support the APC candidate if the court eventually ruled against him.
Asked whether he would support the party’s candidate should the judgment go against him, Hunye replied, “Why not? Why not?”
He added that if the judgment favoured him, he would seek reconciliation with those who had opposed his position.
“But I’m going to embrace everybody. I’m going to embrace everybody,” he said.
