A leading aspirant for the Oyo South Senatorial seat under the All Progressives Congress, Kolapo Kola-Daisi, has firmly denied reports suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu asked him to abandon his 2027 senatorial ambition in exchange for a federal appointment.
Speaking during a political engagement with supporters and party stakeholders in Ibadan, the businessman-turned-politician described the rumours as false, misleading, and politically motivated, insisting that no such conversation ever took place between him and the President.
Kola-Daisi, who has intensified consultations across the nine local governments in Oyo South in recent weeks, said he remains fully committed to the senatorial race and would never disrespect the President by disobeying a direct instruction from him.
“You had a meeting with the President a few weeks ago and there were reports that you were told to bring your CV for a federal appointment and let go of your Oyo South Senatorial ambition, is it true?” he was asked during the interaction.
Responding calmly but firmly, the APC chieftain dismissed the speculation.
“The short answer is no,” he said.
“But I think it’s also important for me to put that into context because when it comes to politics, I try not to get carried away by what I hear or what I see because I know that at the end of the day, everybody has interests or reasons why they do certain things.”
The statement comes amid growing political permutations within the APC in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections, especially following recent declarations by several aspirants for the Oyo South Senatorial seat.
Kola-Daisi stressed that if President Tinubu had genuinely directed him to step down from the race, he would have immediately complied without hesitation.
“If the President had said that to me, 100 percent, I will not even be here this morning because it would be a disrespect to the President for me to come out publicly and still be saying I’m contesting when the President has said don’t do it,” he stated.
The senatorial hopeful also spoke extensively about the financial and emotional demands of Nigerian politics, saying he was too experienced and disciplined to continue investing resources into a political journey that had already been blocked from above.
“This is politics; it is not a cheap venture. Everywhere you go to, there are certain things you have to do. So I don’t know if there’s anybody out there who wants to keep doing those things and be wasteful when they already know there’s no road for them,” he said.
“I’m not like that. I’m an accountant, a chartered accountant of over 20 years, and in no way am I inclined to be that wasteful. So, like I said, the short answer is no.”
Kola-Daisi went further to describe President Tinubu as a father figure whose instructions he would never ignore under any circumstance.
“The President is like my dad. He cannot give me an instruction and I wouldn’t listen to him. So that conversation never occurred,” he added.
His comments appear aimed at countering increasing political narratives suggesting that some aspirants within the Oyo APC may eventually be persuaded to drop their ambitions as part of broader consensus arrangements being discussed ahead of party primaries.
Political observers say the Oyo South contest is already shaping into one of the fiercest battles within the APC, with multiple heavyweights positioning themselves for the seat. Recent reports have highlighted declarations and consultations by several aspirants across the district.
Kola-Daisi, who previously emerged as APC’s senatorial candidate in 2022 before later contesting under another platform in the general election, has remained active within Oyo politics and continues to maintain strong ties with influential APC stakeholders across Ibadan and other parts of the senatorial district.
In recent weeks, his consultations with party leaders and grassroots structures have reportedly gathered momentum, with supporters projecting him as one of the major contenders in the race.
Despite the growing speculation surrounding alignments within the APC, Kola-Daisi insisted that his ambition remains intact and that he has not received any directive from the Presidency to withdraw.
“I am in the race to contest the Oyo South Senatorial election in 2027,” he declared.
His remarks have since generated reactions within political circles in Oyo State, with many party faithful interpreting the statement as a clear signal that the battle for the APC ticket in Oyo South may eventually go down to a competitive primary rather than a consensus arrangement.
Across social media platforms and political discussion forums, Nigerians have also continued to debate the future of internal democracy and consensus politics ahead of the 2027 elections, with many insisting that open contests remain the best option for political parties.
