The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed a purported list of consensus candidates being circulated on social media, describing it as fake and politically motivated.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the APC accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State of fabricating and spreading the false list in a bid to create confusion ahead of the 2026 governorship election.

The party’s chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said the action showed the level of desperation of the PDP to retain power by fraudulent means.

“The handlers of the hopeless party now go around concocting and circulating imaginary and fake lists suggesting that the APC has assigned elective positions to certain individuals,” the statement read.

Lawal described the development as “a roguery and drudgery meant to cause disharmony and division” within the ranks of the APC. He noted that the circulation of such lists was evidence of panic within the PDP as the next election approaches.

“That an official statement, affirming the fake list, could emanate from the state chairman of the ruling PDP is to show the abyss into which the PDP has dipped.”

The opposition party further claimed that the false publication revealed the ruling party’s satyric desperation to win re-election next year.

According to the APC, the move was an indication that the PDP had “already lost the forthcoming governorship election before it is held.”

The statement urged members of the APC and the general public to disregard the purported consensus list, which it described as “a product of beer parlour gossip put together by drunken sailors and idle minds in the PDP.”

Lawal assured party supporters that the APC had not compiled any consensus list of candidates for the 2026 election.

“We want to inform our esteemed members and supporters that our party did not compile any consensus list,” he said.

He maintained that all APC governorship aspirants were capable of defeating the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, in the next election.

“There is none of our governorship aspirants who is not capable of sending Governor Adeleke back to Atlanta in the United States or wherever he might have come from,” the statement added.

The APC chairman, while advising PDP handlers to focus on legitimate political activities rather than engaging in baseless fabrications, added that the party’s members remained united and focused on reclaiming power in the state.

“We urge the PDP handlers to go back to their drawing board with a view to planning another subterfuge. The current attempt can neither sit nor fly; it’s dead on arrival,” he said.

The statement concluded with Lawal’s signature, reaffirming the APC’s readiness for the forthcoming political contest and its commitment to maintaining party unity.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti, on Monday officially emerged as the All Progressive Congress, APC, candidate for next year’s gubernatorial election.

He emerged, through a popular voice votes, echoed by a total of 885 delegates, who were elected on Saturday across the 177 Electoral Wards in the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

His adoption, took place at the Ekiti State Pavilion, located along the new Iyin road, Ado-Ekiti, via a popular consensus.

Kick-starting the exercise, Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, moved the motion for Oyebanji’s nomination and adoption, as consensus candidate, while incumbent Speaker of Ekiti Assembly , Adeoye Aribasoye, seconded

With the development, Oyebanji became the first governor under the banner of APC. in the state, to win the party’s candidature, back to back since the inception of the current democratic dispensation.

Speaking earlier in an opening address, Gov Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State, who doubles as Chairman of Affirmation Congress Committee, said the decision by the party to arrive at a consensus arrangement was basically an in-house party’s choice of way, and a collective efforts, that was devoid of any form of colouration.

” I can inform this gathering that the decision by our great party to adopt Oyebanji is not a product of imposition, but a way to allow the good works that the APC government in Ekiti has been doing, and so far recorded, to continue”, he said.

The National Chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, had earlier on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, inaugurated a 11-man Consensus Committee for the party’s primary election in the State.

He had informed that the committee, chaired by Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, and deputised by his Edo counterpart, Monday Okpebholo, would conduct the affirmation of Oyebanji, as the sole candidate of the party for 2026 gubernatorial poll.

Speaking at the party’s secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Nentawe said the affirmation, would be done by the 885 delegates, across the 16 local government areas of the State .

Nentawe, represented by Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, hailed the outcome of the delegates’ poll, earlier conducted on Saturday, and also commended the leadership style of Oyebanji, which he said had endeererd the people to him.

He also asked the delegates to embrace peace ahead and after the consensus election.

In his acceptance speech, Oyebanji thanked President Bola Tinubu and other top brass of the party, especially the Senate Leader and Ekiti national assembly caucus, current Ekiti Speaker, former governors Niyi Adebayo and wife, as well as Kayode Fayemi, including every members of the party.

“I hereby accept this honour to fly the flag of our great party in the next year’s gubernatorial election, coming up in the state, and I will never take this honour for granted.

” This is historic, in the sense that this is the first time any ruling party would be doing this for any of it’s governor in power.

” Be rest assured that this gesture will not go unappreciated.

“To my opponents in the race, be assured that there is no victor nor vanquished. We are in the race together, and the party belongs to all of us.

” Please, let’s come together to lift Ekiti, as I am ever ready to embrace everyone, without segregation. I plead that all forms of character assassination, cyber bullying, abuses on social media should stop”, he said.

The spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has accused Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, of voter inducement ahead of the November 8 governorship election.

According to the ADC spokesperson, Soludo has resorted to cash-for-votes because he has lost public confidence.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Abdullahi claimed that the governor’s actions violated the Electoral Act, describing them as evidence of desperation.

“Ahead of the November 8th election, Soludo has clearly lost the confidence of the people of Anambra, and it shows,” Abdullahi wrote.

“Only a sitting governor who has run out of public goodwill would so openly resort to cash for votes, in direct violation of Sections 121 and 127 of the Electoral Act, which criminalise voter inducement of any form. This is a new level of desperation, wrapped in impunity, and I hope that INEC is not pretending not to see it.”

Recall that the ADC governorship candidate, John Nwosu, recently criticised Governor Soludo over reports of donations from individuals, groups, and local governments toward his re-election campaign.

Nwosu argued that such donations raised ethical and legal concerns.

“I am aware of reports that some groups and towns have made humongous donations to the candidate of APGA in purported support of his campaign,” Nwosu said.

“Such donations raise real concerns about compliance with the Electoral Act, morality, and the rule of law.” Vanguard