Ibikunle Amosun, a former governor of Ogun State and two-term senator from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has maintained that he never persuaded or coerced candidates to drop out of the 2027 Senate Central District contest.
In response to speculations on Sunday, Amosun called such allegations “misrepresentation” of the meeting’s processes in a statement released by his media office, stressing that asking someone to withdraw from the contest would be unacceptable and undemocratic.
ENigeria Newspaper recalled that the Ogun Central Senatorial District stakeholders met in Abeokuta on Thursday to discuss the potential for a consensus candidate. Three days earlier, former governor and sitting senator of the Ogun senatorial district alleged that he was barred from entering the Ogun East Senatorial District meeting as the APC concensus favoured incumbent governor Dapo Abiodun instead.
However, reports also speculated that three candidates were purportedly mentioned by Amosun as having volunteered to step down on his behalf, according to reports from the meeting.
However, this caused a backlash, and the candidates denied speaking with the former governor or agreeing to resign.
The statement, titled, “Ogun Central APC Meeting: Setting the Record Straight – Amosun” reads, “My attention has been drawn to media reports about a meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun Central Senatorial District held last Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the residence of Chief Olusegun Osoba on the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general election.
“Many of the accounts of the meeting were complete misrepresentation of the proceedings. The meeting was convened at my instance, when there were insinuations about my candidature for the election.
“At the meeting, I recalled that three senatorial aspirants from the district had visited me to seek my support for their candidacy and that each of them volunteered that if I am interested in contesting for the office, they would withdraw their candidacy.
“Nowhere throughout the meeting did I request anyone to withdraw from the race for me because that would be undemocratic and unacceptable.
“I wish to reiterate that I am not only a democrat, I have contested and won election twice to the office of Governor of Ogun State and twice as a Senator of the Federal Republic. What I said at the meeting, which I reiterate is that I would not be part of a primary election whose result is predetermined.
“I advise the media to report proceedings of meetings correctly by cross-checking accounts given by interested parties” the statement concluded.
