The movement of Boye Nation to APM has created an unexpected political complication for Adelabu: while the former minister remains in APC after abandoning his 2027 governorship bid, a prominent figure associated with his political structure over the years has crossed to the political camp led by his two-time governorship victor, Seyi Makinde.
Politics often produces developments that appear contradictory on the surface but reveal deeper realities when examined closely. The latest movement involving Ajiboye Akande Sangogade, popularly known as Aji and Boye Nation, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presents one such development in Oyo State politics.
Ajiboye Akande Sangogade, identified as a former personal assistant and top loyalist of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on Monday led supporters associated with his political structure from the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the APM at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert in Ibadan. Governor Seyi Makinde, the APM presidential candidate, formally received the defectors.
The development is politically significant, not necessarily because Adelabu himself has moved, but because of the identity of the political structure that has moved.
Adelabu’s political journey to this point has been a long and eventful one. His 2019 governorship contest on the APC platform established him as one of the major political figures in Oyo State. After losing the election to Makinde, he later left the APC and contested the 2023 governorship election on the Accord platform. He subsequently was appointed Minister of Power by President Bola Tinubu, and returned to the APC.
His return to the Oyo governorship project became explicit again in 2026. Adelabu resigned as Minister of Power in April to pursue his long-standing ambition of becoming governor of Oyo State. That ambition, however, ended differently from what his supporters had anticipated.
Following the APC’s nomination process that produced Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Adelabu withdrew from further pursuit of the ticket. In a statement titled “APC Nomination Process in Oyo State: Closing the Contest, Not Conceding the Injustice,” he said his decision followed consultations with party leaders and supporters across the state. He also urged reconciliation within the party. More importantly, Adelabu did not announce a defection from APC.
The former minister’s decision to remain within APC, while his number one political associate identified with his camp has moved with supporters to APM, creates an unusual political situation. It raises questions about the cohesion, independence and future direction of the political network that has surrounded Adelabu over the years.
It would, however, be premature to conclude from Ajiboye’s movement (Boye Nation) alone that Adelabu has changed political allegiance. Current reports identify Ajiboye as Adelabu’s former aide and loyalist, but they do not establish that Adelabu personally authorised the movement. Indeed, Adelabu’s own recent political statements have pointed in the opposite direction: after ending his governorship pursuit, he called for peace and reconciliation within APC.
For Adelabu, the question is no longer simply whether he will contest the 2027 governorship election. That chapter has effectively closed. The more immediate question is what becomes of the political structure he has spent years building and whether that structure can remain politically coherent after his failure to secure the APC ticket.
The development is also symbolically striking because the political camp receiving Ajiboye’s ‘Boye Nation’ is led by Makinde; the same political actor who defeated his long time Principal in the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections. Makinde personally received the defectors at the Adamasingba event and used the occasion to challenge APC’s Oyo governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, to focus on the APM’s governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether Boye Nation has defected, but what the movement says about the political consequences of Adelabu’s unsuccessful 2027 and future bid.
Political structures are rarely static. They are often built around personalities, relationships, resources, aspirations and expectations. When the principal aspiration of such a structure changes, its component parts may also begin to make independent calculations.
Boye Nation’s movement to APM may therefore be interpreted in different ways. It could represent a personal political decision by Ajiboye and his supporters. It could reflect disappointment among some Adelabu supporters over the APC nomination process. It could also be an attempt by APM to expand its political base by attracting figures with established networks in the APC. The former minister has chosen not to pursue a legal battle over the APC ticket and has spoken publicly about reconciliation. Whether his supporters will ultimately remain within the APC, move elsewhere or divide across different political platforms is a question that only subsequent political developments can answer.
For APC, however, the development carries its own significance. The party is entering the 2027 election with a candidate who emerged from a contentious nomination process, while some political actors associated with other aspirants are already aligning with the party and its candidates across, few others are finding new platforms, and for APM, the arrival of Boye Nation provides an opportunity for them to demonstrate that its growing political coalition extends beyond its traditional base. The party has clearly welcomed the development, with Makinde describing the influx of defectors as evidence of support for the APM. But another question is, how effective will Boye Nation be on the ballot in 2027?”
And in defense of Adelabu, the challenge may now be less about the governorship contest itself and more about political relevance, loyalty and the preservation of his political network after the 2027 ticket slipped away. That is the real Adelabu headache. Boye Nation’s movement does not necessarily represent the collapse of Adelabu’s political structure, nor does it establish a new political allegiance for Adelabu himself. But it undeniably introduces a new variable into the Oyo political equation.
And as the 2027 political contest gathers momentum, the question will increasingly be whether Adelabu’s political network remains a unified force within APC, or fragments across competing platforms, or evolves into something different altogether.
But for now, one thing is clear: Boye Nation has moved, while Adelabu has remained in APC. What that separation ultimately means for both men — and for Oyo’s 2027 political realignment — remains one of the more interesting questions on the state’s political landscape.
Yusuf Atanda writes from Ibadan.
