{"id":31809,"date":"2026-05-25T09:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=31809"},"modified":"2026-05-25T09:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:27:02","slug":"pdp-governorship-candidates-adebutu-emerges-in-ogun-lamido-in-jigawa-aondoakaa-in-benue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/pdp-governorship-candidates-adebutu-emerges-in-ogun-lamido-in-jigawa-aondoakaa-in-benue\/","title":{"rendered":"PDP Governorship Candidates: Adebutu Emerges in Ogun, Lamido in Jigawa, Aondoakaa in Benue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABUJA, Nigeria (FN)<\/strong> \u2014 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded governorship primaries across several states, producing a slate of candidates who will carry the party\u2019s flag into the 2027 general elections. The contests, held Sunday, were marked by consensus deals, delegate votes, and moments of tension that underscored both the party\u2019s internal dynamics and the stakes ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, a former federal lawmaker and the PDP\u2019s candidate in the 2023 election, was affirmed by delegates through a voice vote in Abeokuta. Adebutu, who lost in 2023 under what he described as \u201cmanipulation,\u201d told supporters that the party was determined to \u201csend the APC packing\u201d in 2027. His emergence sets up a rematch against the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Katsina, Senator Yakubu Lado secured 77,013 votes in a primary described as peaceful and transparent. He will face incumbent Governor Dikko Radda of the APC. In Jigawa, Mustapha Sule Lamido, son of former governor Sule Lamido, was affirmed unopposed. Lamido, who also contested in 2023, pledged to \u201crebuild Jigawa into a state that works for all,\u201d framing his candidacy as a collective mission rather than personal ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adamawa delegates endorsed Maurice Vunobolki, while in Lagos, former PDP chairman Adedeji Doherty was adopted as the consensus candidate. Doherty promised inclusive governance and vowed to build \u201ca prosperous Lagos that works for all residents.\u201d In Oyo, former deputy governor Hazeem Gbolarumi emerged with 3,615 votes, defeating Beulah Adeoye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benue\u2019s candidate, former Attorney General of the Federation Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), unveiled Dr. Oyije Ogbenjuwa, 38, as his running mate, stressing youth inclusion and pledging to prioritize security. In Gombe, however, controversy erupted as aspirants rejected alleged attempts to include former APC contender Isa Pantami in the PDP process, warning of legal disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primaries drew attention not only for the candidates who emerged but also for the broader political context. Nigeria\u2019s opposition parties have struggled to consolidate after the 2023 elections, and the PDP\u2019s choices reflect a mix of familiar faces and new entrants. Analysts note that consensus candidacies, such as those in Lagos and Jigawa, signal efforts to avoid internal fractures that have historically weakened the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactions poured in across social media, with many PDP supporters celebrating Adebutu\u2019s return in Ogun and Lamido\u2019s affirmation in Jigawa. Critics, however, questioned whether recycling past candidates signals a lack of fresh vision. \u201cWe need new ideas, not old faces,\u201d one user wrote, while another argued that \u201cexperience matters more than novelty in Nigerian politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy makers and opinion leaders weighed in as well. Former Ekiti governor Ayodele Fayose praised Adebutu as \u201ca political leader who has all it takes to take the state to greater heights.\u201d Civil society groups urged the PDP to focus on internal democracy and transparency, warning that consensus deals must not silence dissenting voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primaries highlight the PDP\u2019s attempt to position itself as a credible alternative to the ruling APC ahead of 2027. With candidates now in place, the party faces the challenge of uniting its factions, addressing voter concerns over governance, and convincing Nigerians that it can deliver where the ruling party has struggled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded governorship primaries across several states, producing a slate of candidates who will carry the party\u2019s flag into the 2027 general elections. The contests, held Sunday, were marked by consensus deals, delegate votes, and moments of tension that underscored both the party\u2019s internal dynamics and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":31813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3699,2096,776,4,478,458,3,1138],"tags":[1622,17340,17334,3305,17337,17342,17336,17339,17115,12911,17335,17332,17331,17343,17338,17330,16186,17333],"class_list":["post-31809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-economics","category-educational","category-featured","category-financial","category-legal","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-2027-elections","tag-adamawa-politics","tag-adedeji-doherty","tag-apc-vs-pdp","tag-benue-politics","tag-gombe-politics","tag-hazeem-gbolarumi","tag-jigawa-politics","tag-katsina-politics","tag-lagos-politics","tag-maurice-vunobolki","tag-michael-aondoakaa","tag-mustapha-lamido","tag-nigeria-opposition","tag-ogun-politics","tag-oladipupo-adebutu","tag-pdp-primaries","tag-yakubu-lado"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot_25-5-2026_9725_punchng.com_.jpeg?fit=796%2C420&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31814,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31809\/revisions\/31814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}