Hunye: APC suspension attempted to strip me of locus in Ogun Governorship suit

Jeremiah Adeshina

A factional governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Hon. 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 governorship primary.

Hunye spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, where he insisted that he remains an aspirant because the dispute over the APC governorship ticket is still before the court.

The development followed the APC National Working Committee’s reported description of Hunye as an impostor and its rejection of his claim to the party’s 2027 governorship ticket.
Hunye, however, said he had never claimed to be the party’s candidate.

“I want to correct that story. I never said I was. I remain an aspirant,” he said.

He also disputed the suspension, saying he had not received any formal notification or been given an opportunity to respond to any allegation against him.

“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,” Hunye said.

He expressed doubt that the reported suspension represented a properly ratified decision of the party’s National Working Committee.

“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.

‘I will not drop the case ’

Hunye said he decided to publicly clarify his position after reports that he had withdrawn from the governorship contest following an alleged settlement.

He maintained that the matter remained before the court and that the final determination of the APC governorship ticket would depend on the outcome of the litigation.

“The Ogun State candidature for the governorship election is still hanging in the balance at the court. The court is going to determine who becomes the candidate, and the case is still on,” he said.

According to him, the reported suspension was an attempt to intimidate him into abandoning the case.

“They are trying to intimidate me so that I can drop the case, and I will not,” he declared.

Hunye said he remained confident in the judiciary and would accept its eventual decision.

“I want to assure you that I believe in the judiciary. They are going to do the best in whatever judgment that will be delivered,” he said.

Primary dispute

The governorship aspirant also questioned the circumstances surrounding his participation in the APC primary, particularly the result attributed to him.

Hunye said that although he was allegedly suspended in April, the party subsequently sold him its governorship nomination form, screened him and cleared him to participate in the contest.

“Even I was suspended in April. I came to the National Party Secretariat. I got a form there on the 28th of April,” he said.

“They collected money and gave me a form. On the 15th again, I went for a screening.”

According to Hunye, he was assigned number 62 during the screening process, while Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, was assigned number 53.

He said the party subsequently cleared him alongside other aspirants, with some candidates reportedly disqualified.

“You screened me. And at the end of the day, you cleared me that I’m successful,” he said.

Hunye further denied withdrawing from the contest, insisting that he participated in the primary.

“So there was no withdrawal in my own name. I participated in the election, and they admitted that I participated,” he said.

He identified the result, which allegedly recorded zero votes for him, as one of the major reasons for his court action.

Hunye said he was physically present during the exercise and questioned how he could have been recorded as receiving no vote.

“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?” he asked.

He also alleged that his campaign billboards were removed in Abeokuta while the legal dispute was still pending.

“Even yesterday, they started to remove all my billboards in Abeokuta when I’m still in the race. Why?” he queried.

Hunye said he had written to the party and relevant committees after the primary, but claimed that his complaints were not acted upon.

“I wrote immediately. I wrote to the party chairman. I wrote to the committee. They refuse to do anything,” he said.

He added that he consequently decided to pursue the matter through the courts.

Questions over Adeola’s records

Hunye also disclosed that his court case raises questions about information allegedly contained in Senator Solomon Adeola’s electoral records and his political history.

He referred to Adeola’s previous public offices in Lagos State, including his time in the Lagos State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate.

“There are so many issues. In all that he filled, he was serving in Lagos State as an assembly member,” Hunye said.

He alleged that the issues formed part of the questions before the court but declined to disclose details of the ongoing case.

When asked whether the allegations amounted to perjury, Hunye answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, that is perjury,” he said, while stressing that he did not want to discuss the details publicly.

Hunye also alleged that the reported suspension could affect his legal standing, or locus standi, in the case.

He claimed that the move was intended to provide grounds for challenging his right to continue with the suit.

“They want to remove me as a locus,” he said.
According to him, the suspension could be used as a technical argument to remove him from the case.

“Exactly, that is what they are looking for. They are looking for a technical ground to put me away,” he said.

Consensus controversy

Hunye also rejected claims or suggestions that the APC governorship primary was based on a consensus arrangement.

He demanded evidence of a meeting at which all the aspirants agreed to such an arrangement.

“It’s a choice if a consensus arrangement is clearly stated. If there must be consensus at all, every member must agree to it,” he said.

“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.”

Hunye recalled the 2018 APC governorship contest in Ogun State, saying he, then-governor-elect Dapo Abiodun and other aspirants had opposed the consensus arrangement associated with the administration of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

He argued that accepting the consensus arrangement at the time could have produced a different political outcome.

“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.

Running mate and court strategy

Despite insisting that he remains an aspirant, Hunye confirmed that he had unveiled a running mate.

He explained that the decision was connected to his desire to demonstrate participation in the electoral process while his case remains before the court.

Hunye cited Section 285 of the Nigerian Constitution, as amended, in arguing that a person must participate in the 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 campaign stage, I just have to participate,” he said.

‘They can’t take us away from APC’

Hunye also rejected the suggestion that the APC leadership could push him out of the party after his years of involvement in its political struggles.

“There is no way the APC, the so-called leaders, as I’m saying this…they can’t take us away from this party,” he said.

He recalled his involvement in the political activities that preceded the emergence of the APC in Ogun State.

“We fought for the party. PDP then in those days. They took us to Eleweran. Myself, Ibikunle Amosun and Dipo Dina,” he said.

Hunye, however, said he would respect the eventual judgment of the court.

Asked whether he would support the APC candidate if the court ruled against him, he replied: “Why not? Why not?”

He said that if the judgment went in his favour, he would also seek reconciliation with those on the opposing side.

“But I’m going to embrace everybody. I’m going to embrace everybody,” he said.

For now, Hunye’s position is that he remains an APC governorship aspirant and that the final resolution of the disputed 2027 governorship ticket rests with the judiciary.