The camp of Action Alliance governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Mr Olaniyi Ajekiigbe, popularly known as OLA, has firmly rejected claims that he has withdrawn from the governorship contest or conceded to the candidacy of Comrade Titilola Sodo.
In a statement issued by his Head of his Publicity office, Oluseyi Akinwale, Ajekiigbe’s camp said while it welcomed genuine efforts at reconciliation and party unity, such appeals must not be used to create the impression that an ongoing legal dispute had been resolved in favour of any party.
“The judgment must not be written before the judge delivers it,” the statement said, cautioning party members and stakeholders against treating the matter as settled while it remained before a competent court.
At the heart of the dispute is a governorship primary held on 26 May 2026 at the Action Alliance secretariat on Old Ife Road, Ibadan, which Ajekiigbe’s camp says he won. The camp maintains the exercise was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission and other electoral stakeholders, and that documentary evidence, including an electoral report, is available to support his claim.
The camp further argued that INEC’s publication of a candidate’s name did not, by itself, resolve a pending legal dispute concerning the party’s recognised national leadership or the process by which its candidate emerged.
“Ajekiigbe has not accepted the candidacy of Comrade Titilola Sodo, withdrawn from the contest or surrendered the mandate he believes he secured at the primary,” the statement said. “His position remains that the dispute should be resolved in accordance with the law.”
The camp was also pointed in its address to INEC, urging the Commission to act impartially and give effect to any applicable court orders recognising Chief Kenneth Udeze as the party’s National Chairman and James Veniembe as National Secretary, including uploading the party’s candidates on its platform.
It maintained that resolving the leadership dispute was essential to clarifying the party’s standing ahead of the election.
Addressing concerns about the atmosphere surrounding the contest, the camp called on Action Alliance members, supporters and the people of Oyo State to remain calm and law-abiding while the judicial process ran its course.
“Peace and unity can endure only when the rights of all parties are respected and justice is allowed to take its course,” the statement concluded.
