By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The Chairman of the 10-man Primary Election Committee for the Ogun State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Adeniyi Adams, on Friday reaffirmed that AI expert, Dr. Abiodun Collins Ogundipe, won the party’s governorship primary conducted in the state.
Adams said Ogundipe polled 9,370 votes to defeat his closest rival, Otunba Adebisi Jimi Lawal, who garnered 6,812 votes, while Dr. (Mrs.) Marie Abolaji Odusina came third with 2,349 votes.
The committee chairman said the clarification became necessary in view of the “misinformation, misrepresentation and manipulation” allegedly being circulated to mislead the public into believing that Jimi Lawal won the primary and had emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Ogun State.
He also disowned the earlier declaration of Lawal as winner of the primary, alleging that the announcement was made by an unofficial person.
Adams spoke while addressing journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, alongside a member of the committee, Engr. Babatunde Adekola Folarin.
The Daily Crucible reports that a fresh crisis has erupted within the Ogun State ADC following conflicting claims over the outcome of the party’s governorship primary election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The controversy began after Barr. Adebimpe Adelowo, on Monday, announced Otunba Jimi Lawal — a close associate of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai — as winner of the governorship primary with 19,418 votes.
Adelowo, who identified himself as Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Election Committee constituted by the national leadership of the party, claimed that the election was conducted across the 236 wards of the state and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the results announced by Adelowo, Lawal defeated two other aspirants — Abiodun Collins Ogundipe, who polled 5,775 votes, and Dr. Marie Abolaji Odusina, who secured 4,825 votes.
Declaring Lawal winner, Adelowo described the exercise as peaceful and transparent, adding that the ADC remained “the party to beat” ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, while reaffirming Ogundipe as the authentic winner of the primary, Adams disowned Adelowo, insisting that he was neither a member nor the secretary of the ADC Primary Election Committee in Ogun State.
Adams identified Moshood Babatunde Olanrewaju as the authentic Secretary of the 10-man Primary Electoral Committee, adding that members of the committee were mandated to conduct the presidential, National Assembly and governorship primaries in Ogun State.
