Has Oyo APC learnt its lessons?
By: Adeyemo Adesina
Dear Oyo state party members,
I write this letter to you all in good faith and I hope we will all absorb and digest the content in the same manner it was passed.
Let me first appreciate the leadership of our dear party at all levels, for holding sway by making the party stand firm despite the odds we faced during and after the 2023 general election, especially the gubernatorial election which we feebly lost to the defunct Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Your resilience and steadfastness are well appreciated and highly commendable. May God reward you all! Let me also use this medium to pay tribute to the Late Barr. Isaac Omodewu (former state chairman), who sacrificed everything humanly possible for the party to deliver the state, amidst series of internal crisis which we nurtured prior to, and after the election. May his gentle soul continue to rest in peace. (Amen).
We are all aware of the turbulence that cost us to lose the governorship seat to the PDP in the last election. We all witnessed how intra party crisis set us against ourselves, seeing some people went behind the scene to negotiate with our opponent, just because they were not given the ticket to vie for the seat. We all see how frustration and desperation led some of us to work against the party we claim to love, and respect. We all were part of history as the guber election in Oyo state was manipulatively rounded up even before midday on Election Day. And, above all we see how loyalty was taken for granted, as a result of greed and power tussle contests among aspiring members of our party. That was not all about the consequences we faced as we lost the election.
We remember our governorship candidate Senator Teslim Folarin was earlier advised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to go and beg people who he offended while clamoring for the ticket. Did Folarin hearkened and go ahead to beg these acclaimed aggressive aspirants? If yes, did they refused to accept his apology or something else went wrong? Did they request for returns which Teslim objected to? Why was Teslim advised not to challenge the election result at the tribunals, if indeed the super powers were not overwhelmingly in support of opposition to take over our state?
Despite all these, the Teslim remains focused, silent and proactive in his political movement, after losing to Seyi Makinde of the PDP. He out rightly accept solace, even when it is hard to bear and obey the order not to challenge makinde’s victory in court. That was when I begin to see that there are virtually many things happening beyond the radar of what the periscope of party members can observe. And it all went down the drain!!!
Towards the end of 2025, we suddenly witnessed a kind of undefined reunion and harmonization among those who went aggrieved in 2023 and those who remained with the party in its trying time. The party hierarchy directed stakeholders to come together again and shield their swords in the interest of the party, so that their interests can be catered for. They indeed succumbed and forge ahead, the result of which brought about what seems like a family reunion adventures during the Renewed Hope rallies across the federal constituencies in the state.
Does that means once a foe has suddenly become friends again? Is that an indication that all issues have been resolved, and we can move on as one house again? Does that mean we are ready to correct our mistakes and send the dying PDP out of government house Agodi in 2027? Was that an assurance that interests has been cared for, and recognized? The answers to these questions might have not been answered until recently when the window opens for expression of interest to contest for elective offices in 2027 again. Then, we come to the conclusion that another scenario similar to what played out in 2023 might have just arrived. If not, how do we call the recent happenings within the APC folds and camps? Have we learnt any lessons from our previous gambling at all?
Few weeks ago, speculations surfaced on social media platforms that Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Ali has been ordained by sources close to the villa. Immediately after the public reactions were spotted, the senator picked a date for his official declaration, to ascertain the readiness to accept the offer if indeed he is going to be the consensus candidate of the party as aired. Party bigwigs and members across the geo political zones of the state graced the event, held somewhere in Yemetu, Ibadan Oyo state. It was indeed a great event!!! Alas! There are typical personnel who were virtually everywhere during the renewed hope tour across the constituencies but snubbed the declaration ceremony of the serving senator.
These are people who claimed that the party is more united now than around 2023 when we rose against ourselves. These are people who either intentionally ignored the event or had suddenly see more reasons why aligning at the moment may not speak well with their conflicting intentions.
Weeks after the declaration, some leaders of the party ( in clear affirmation of Ali’s candidacy) held another summit to endorse the senator as the candidate of the APC in the next year governorship election.
At that point, those who boycotted the first declaration still went ahead to sponsor various media reactions, to rubbish the pronouncement by a certain section but powerful leaders of the APC Oyo state. In contrast, “what is good for the goose is not bad for the gander”.
Former power minister Adebayo Adelabu is also set to officially declare his ambition for the same seat in few days’ time. He will also be expecting party leaders believed to be loyal to him, and maybe including those who attended the previous declarations of: Senator Sarafadeen Ali and Engineer Akeem Alao and others. We all recall that Bayo Adelabu resigned as power minister about two weeks ago.
The recent development in which more than five aspirants have obtained expression forms under the APC will no doubt generate more controversies, on whether the party will be forced to go on direct primaries or pick its governorship candidate via consensus arrangement. The implications of which is yet to “we” the party members.
The coming weeks is going to be an interesting one indeed, and it is expected to bring some traces of determinants, as to whether the APC Oyo state has fully learnt its lesson, and fix the cracks that crushed their chances in 2023, or they are edging towards something else. It is an avenue to settle their scores finally and regain the state from the regressive regime of the defunct PDP led Makinde.
This is an avenue for the aspirants who see themselves as gladiators to speak senses into their followers who have generate verbal and media wars, that had hitherto enormously been de-marketing their choice of aspirant instead of helping them grow public sympathy and supports. If by now the followers of aspirants still believe in winners take all, just as it was spelled out during the party congresses. Then, it is apparent that we are not ready to send the present regime at the state, even at the various local government levels back to their deserved opposition domain. Perhaps, are we risking this at the expense of the presidency? Capital NO!!!
