The All Progressives Congress has asked the Inspector-General of Police to investigate and prosecute Abayomi Hunye over his alleged continued claim to be the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olutunji Rilwan Disu, seeking the investigation and possible prosecution of Abayomi Hunye over allegations that he has been presenting himself as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election.
The petition, dated August 24, 2026, was signed by the APC Director of Administration, Ayoola Peter Olajolo, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
The party accused Hunye of using print and social media platforms to represent himself as its candidate despite the APC’s position that Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, emerged from its governorship primary and remains its recognised candidate.
The APC described Hunye’s alleged conduct as impersonation and said it could mislead members of the public and create tension ahead of the election.
APC asks police to investigate alleged impersonation
In the petition, the APC urged the police to invite Hunye for questioning and investigate the allegations against him.
The party further requested that he be prosecuted if the investigation establishes that he committed offences relating to alleged impersonation, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and other electoral offences.
The APC also asked the police to take steps to prevent Hunye from continuing to present himself as the party’s candidate.
The party said its national headquarters and Ogun State chapter would cooperate with any investigation and provide additional documents or witness statements that may be required.
APC says Hunye was suspended
A central part of the party’s complaint is its assertion that Hunye was suspended from the APC on April 7, 2026.
According to the party, the disciplinary process began with a petition from Hunye’s ward, Tube Ward in Ipokia Local Government Area, before the suspension was ratified at the local government level and subsequently approved by the Ogun State Working Committee.
The APC has maintained that Hunye’s alleged suspension means he does not have the authority to represent the party or present himself as its candidate.
The party had previously publicly disowned Hunye and reaffirmed Adeola as its candidate for the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
APC reaffirms Adeola as its candidate
The latest police petition follows the APC’s reaffirmation of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as its candidate.
The Ogun APC said Adeola won its governorship primary with 304,055 votes out of 305,287 accredited voters, while reports of the primary indicated that Hunye scored zero votes.
Adeola’s victory has nevertheless been challenged by Hunye, who has questioned the conduct and outcome of the primary.
The APC has maintained that Adeola is its duly recognised candidate and that his name, alongside that of his running mate, has been submitted through the Independent National Electoral Commission’s candidate-submission system. (THE LEGAL OBSERVER)
Hunye disputes APC’s position
The dispute is not one-sided.
Hunye has publicly challenged the circumstances surrounding his alleged suspension and questioned how he could have been treated as a suspended party member while subsequently being allowed to purchase the APC governorship nomination form, undergo screening and participate in the governorship primary.
On August 22, Hunye also declared that he remained in the 2027 governorship contest and said his legal challenge concerning the APC primary was still before the courts. He subsequently announced Abayomi Odunowo as his preferred running mate.
His position creates an important legal dimension to the dispute: whether the internal processes through which the APC suspended Hunye and conducted its governorship primary were valid and what effect any pending court proceedings may have on the party’s nomination.
What happens next?
The APC’s petition is, at this stage, a request for police investigation. It does not establish that Hunye has committed a criminal offence.
Whether the alleged conduct amounts to a prosecutable offence will depend on the applicable law, the evidence gathered by law-enforcement authorities and, ultimately, any determination made by a competent court.
The police have not, as of the time of publication, publicly announced that Hunye has been arrested, charged or prosecuted pursuant to the APC petition.
The development therefore adds a criminal-law and public-order dimension to what began principally as an internal political dispute over the APC’s Ogun governorship ticket.
The VineLegal Legal Context
The distinction between political nomination disputes and criminal liability is important.
A political party’s declaration that an individual is not its candidate does not, by itself, establish the commission of the criminal offence of impersonation. The relevant facts and applicable statutory provisions would have to be established before criminal liability can arise.
Similarly, an allegation contained in a petition to the police remains an allegation unless and until it is established through the appropriate investigative and judicial processes.
The controversy also highlights the interaction between internal party disputes, electoral nomination processes and the role of the courts in determining disputes arising from political party primaries.
For now, the Ogun APC has recognised Adeola as its candidate, while Hunye maintains that he remains in the contest and is pursuing his legal challenge.
The next significant developments are likely to come from the police’s response to the APC petition and the courts’ determination of Hunye’s challenge to the party’s primary and nomination process.
Category: Politics & Law
Tags: APC, Ogun State,
Post a Comment