Crisis has erupted within the Ogun State chapter of the African Democratic Congress following the emergence of two governorship candidates from parallel primary elections conducted by the party.
The controversy deepened after Jimi Lawal and Biodun Ogundipe were separately declared winners of the party’s governorship primary held ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The conflicting declarations, which emerged within 24 hours, have thrown the party into confusion and raised fresh concerns over the credibility of its internal electoral process in the state.
Lawal was declared winner at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, while Ogundipe emerged from another exercise conducted at Basic Trust International, Oke-Ilewo, also in Abeokuta.
Three aspirants had contested for the ticket, including Lawal, Ogundipe and a United States-based medical doctor, Marie Bolaji Odusina.
Announcing the result at the party secretariat, the National Organising Secretary of the ADC and Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Election Committee, Adebimpe Adelowo, said Lawal polled 19,418 votes to defeat Ogundipe, who scored 5,775 votes, while Odusina secured 4,825 votes.
Adelowo subsequently declared Lawal as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
He also dismissed insinuations questioning his authority, insisting that the ADC constitution empowered him to coordinate and supervise field activities of the party.
However, in a separate development, another electoral committee led by Adeniyi Adams declared Ogundipe winner of the primary election.
According to the committee, Ogundipe polled 9,370 votes to defeat Lawal, who secured 6,812 votes, while Odusina got 2,349 votes.
Speaking after his declaration, Ogundipe called for unity among party members and urged aggrieved aspirants to work together towards the party’s victory in the forthcoming governorship election.
“We are one family in ADC. This is the time for reconciliation, unity and collective commitment towards rescuing Ogun State,” he said.
Meanwhile, Odusina has rejected the outcome of the exercise and petitioned the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, alleging widespread irregularities during the primaries.
The aspirant accused the organisers of violating provisions of the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution, claiming that voting took place at multiple locations within the same wards, thereby compromising transparency and accountability.
She further alleged that aspirants were not properly informed about the modalities guiding the election process, including accreditation procedures, collation centres and voting timelines.
According to her, the process lacked coordination and fairness, especially in Ogun West where voting reportedly continued long after polls had closed in other parts of the state.
Odusina demanded a fresh primary election supervised by a new electoral committee, insisting that only a transparent process could restore confidence in the exercise.
She warned that failure by the party to address the alleged irregularities could force her to seek legal redress.
The crisis also reopened earlier controversies surrounding Lawal’s eligibility, following a petition reportedly submitted to the party’s national secretariat by some ADC members in Ogun East Senatorial District.
The petitioners had called for Lawal’s disqualification over an alleged ongoing corruption-related case instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Reacting to the controversy, the Ogun State Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Olumide Onabajo, maintained that Ogundipe remained the authentic governorship candidate of the party.
He described the parallel declaration that produced Lawal as illegal, misleading and unconstitutional.
According to him, the duly recognised electoral committee sent by the national leadership of the party was headed by Adeniyi Adams, with Moshood Babatunde serving as secretary.
He urged party members and supporters to disregard what he described as fabricated results being circulated in some quarters.
Also reacting, the Ogun State Chairman of the ADC, Femi Soluade, distanced himself from the conduct of the governorship primary, saying he was neither part of the electoral committee nor directly involved in the exercise.
He, however, assured party members that the leadership would engage relevant stakeholders to address the situation and resolve issues arising from the disputed primaries.
