I’m the most experienced Oyo governorship aspirant in APC – Adebayo Shittu

Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has declared that he stands out as the most experienced among those seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Wednesday, Shittu said his long years of service in politics and governance give him a unique edge over other aspirants.

He noted that his political career spans more than four decades, beginning in the 1970s when he joined the political group of the late Obafemi Awolowo, premier of the western region.

“I pray that God would enable me to get the party’s ticket,” Shittu said. “Of the about 10 aspirants for governorship in APC in Oyo state, I am the most senior.”

Shittu explained that he was among the pioneers who helped form the Committee of Friends and later the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), under which he contested and won a seat in the state house of assembly.

He served for four years in the legislature before being appointed commissioner for home affairs, information and culture in 1983 at the age of 30.

He went on to serve as the attorney-general of Oyo State in 2007 and was later appointed minister of communications by former President Muhammadu Buhari. “Four different critical political positions I have occupied,” he said. “That makes me the most experienced of all the aspirants.”

Beyond his personal career, Shittu also highlighted his role in the 2023 general election that produced Bola Tinubu as president.

According to him, he coordinated more than 1,100 support groups that worked tirelessly to secure victory for Tinubu across the country.

“There were 1,141 support groups from all over the country, which I presided over,” he said. “We worked nationwide without taking a kobo from anybody. And consistently, I have been one of the most active in defending the APC and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government. Nobody has done more than I have.”

Addressing speculation that he might defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Shittu dismissed the idea, stressing that he was “too experienced” to make such a move. He suggested that those who left the APC for other parties may have been driven by internal pressures or instability, but insisted he remains firmly committed to the ruling party.

“Well, perhaps somebody must be driving them,” he remarked. “Something must be making them uneasy to stabilise in a political position. But I am too experienced for that.”