AKK’s Statesmanship Shines as He Backs Senator Alli, Still Finishes 6th Among 11 Aspirants — A Strong Signal for Oyo’s Future Leadership

They say politics is a game of numbers, but the just-concluded governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State showed it can also be a display of pure class and sportsmanship.

While Senator Sharafadeen Alli comfortably cruised to victory to secure the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, the spotlight is also shining brightly on Dr. Adewale Kolapo Kareem, fondly known as AKK. His graceful conduct and surprisingly strong showing have become the talk of the town, injecting a breath of fresh air into the state’s political scene.

Senator Alli polled a massive 91,824 votes to clear the field of ten other aspirants. But the real twist in the tale came just before voting started, when AKK voluntarily chose to step down and support Senator Alli. It was a smooth move that party faithful have widely cheered as a sign of maturity, loyalty, and a genuine love for party unity.

The most delightful surprise of the day, however, was that even though AKK had officially pulled out of the race and told his team to back Alli, his name still carried weight on the field. Without a single agent pushing for him on election day, AKK still picked up a neat 990 votes, finishing an impressive 6th out of the 11 heavyweight aspirants.

Political watchers are calling it a remarkable feat. Pulling nearly a thousand votes while sitting on the sidelines speaks volumes about his natural grassroots appeal and popularity among the delegates. Instead of slowing him down, his selfless decision seems to have given his political stock a major boost.

As one of the younger, dynamic faces in Oyo politics, AKK’s choice to put the party first has earned him a lot of fans. By choosing collaboration over conflict, he kept the peace within the party and showed everyone that he is a strategic team player with a very bright future ahead.

According to the official results, behind Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli’s winning streak came former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, in second place with 7,532 votes. Senator Abdulfatai Buhari took third with 6,963 votes, followed by Barrister Akeem Agbaje with 1,475 votes, and former Deputy Governor, Barrister Rauf Remi Olaniyan, who pulled 992 votes for fifth place.

Right on their heels was AKK in sixth with his 990 votes, finishing ahead of Hakeem Alao (170 votes), Ololade Usman Bakare (15 votes), Wasiu Ayobami Lam-Adesina (10 votes), and Muyiwa Gbadegesin (7 votes). The release of these verified numbers also cleared the air, instantly dismissing the usual funny, mathematically impossible results that had been floating around on social media.

With the primaries happily wrapped up, APC members across Oyo State are already buzzing and uniting behind Senator Alli’s bid for the Agodi Government House.

For AKK’s energetic supporters, this outing is anything but a loss—it is the exciting start of something bigger. There is a growing feeling within the party that his humility, intellectual depth, and readiness to sacrifice for the greater good have officially marked him out as a leader to watch in the next generation. After all, politics is a marathon, not a sprint, and many are confident that AKK’s time to lead Oyo State will surely come.