ADC Members Protest at INEC, Demand Suspension of Adegoke’s Candidacy

..As Aggrieved party members urge electoral commission to await court determination

Some aggrieved members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Oyo State have protested the recent upload of Hon. Taofeek Adegoke as the party’s governorship candidate on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The protesters, led by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Adebimpe Adelowo, took their grievances to the INEC office in the Agodi area of Ibadan, demanding the withdrawal of Adegoke’s name pending the determination of a court case concerning the party’s governorship primary.

Adelowo, who said he represented the State Chairman, Alhaji Yinka Olona, described the development as a deviation from the outcome of the party’s primary election held on May 23, 2026.

He said Dr. Gbemileke Alagbe-Eleniyan emerged as the winner of the governorship primary, adding that the primary was conducted after the party’s National Organising Secretary constituted the electoral committee in line with the party’s constitution.

According to him, INEC officials were also deployed to monitor the primary and subsequently submitted their reports.

Adelowo alleged that the list currently displayed on the INEC portal was submitted through a hard-copy letter by some national officials of the party, rather than through the procedure she claimed was prescribed by the Electoral Act.

He therefore urged INEC to uphold due process and ensure that only candidates who emerged from properly conducted primaries are recognised.

Also speaking, the ADC South Senatorial Chairman in Oyo State called on INEC to withdraw the disputed list pending the determination of the case in court.

He said the party’s concern was to ensure that the dispute did not affect ADC’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

He appealed to INEC to wait for the outcome of the court case before taking further action on the disputed governorship candidacy.

The protesters also called for the recognition of their preferred candidate, Gbemileke Alagbe-Eleniyan, pending the court’s decision.

Meanwhile, the Head of Legal Services of INEC in Oyo State, Adeniyi Lawal, urged the aggrieved members to remain calm, noting that the matter is already before the court.

Lawal appealed to all parties involved to sheathe their swords and allow the judiciary to determine the dispute.

The development follows the emergence of different positions within the ADC over the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.