Five Oyo APC governorship aspirants demand immediate resignation of state chairman

By Olusesan Laoye

Five governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State have called for the immediate resignation of the state chairman of the party, Dr. Moses Alake Adeyemo, accusing him of undermining the integrity of the party and compromising internal democracy.

The demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting held on Monday, June 1, 2026, by the aspirants: Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, Prince Musbau Asatola Asanike, Dr. Ololade Usman Bakare, Barrister Akeem Agbaje, and Engr. Akeem Oyedele Alao.

In the communiqué, the aspirants expressed deep dissatisfaction with the leadership of the party in the state, alleging that the chairman’s actions had eroded confidence in the APC and threatened its unity.

The communiqué reads in part:

“We, the undersigned five All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Oyo State, met on Monday, June 1, 2026, to review the state of our party and the conduct of recent party activities under the leadership of the state chairman, Dr. (Chief) Moses Alake Adeyemo. After extensive deliberations, we express our deep dissatisfaction with the way the party is being run in Oyo State. We believe the current leadership has failed to uphold fairness, internal democracy, and unity, which are essential for building a strong political party.

“We unanimously resolved that the Oyo State APC Chairman, Dr. (Chief) Moses Alake Adeyemo, must resign with immediate effect. Our decision is based on several actions that have undermined the integrity of the party. These include his directive to all local government party chairmen to ensure victory for a particular aspirant even before the primaries, which we view as a gross abuse of office and a violation of the principle of neutrality.”

The aspirants also accused the chairman of declaring an aspirant the party’s governorship candidate before the National Working Committee (NWC) officially announced the results of the primary election.

“We condemn the chairman for declaring an aspirant as the party’s candidate before the National Working Committee released the official result of the governorship primary. Such a premature announcement pre-empted due process, confused party members, and eroded trust in our institutions. Only the NWC has the constitutional mandate to announce election results.”

They further criticised Adeyemo’s conduct following a Sallah meeting with the President, alleging that he granted media interviews and publicly presented a candidate as the party’s flagbearer.

“This action amounted to imposition and disregarded the collective will of party members. We are also concerned about his public display of raising an aspirant’s hand as the party’s flagbearer, which further confirmed his bias.”

The aspirants warned that the party risked repeating the mistakes that contributed to its electoral setbacks in 2019 and 2023.

“We have not forgotten the bitter lessons of 2019 and 2023 in Oyo State. Provocative statements by the state chairman and his associates can tear the party apart. We lost not because our ideals were weak, but because division, imposition, and injustice weakened our ranks. To avoid repeating that experience, probity, equity, and fairness must guide every decision we make. Our people deserve better than a party that ignores its own mistakes and repeats them.”

They also alleged that the chairman failed to adequately engage governorship aspirants during the election period and did not provide sufficient election materials for the governorship primary.

“The chairman never convened a meeting of aspirants to brief them during the critical election period, leaving us in the dark on key decisions. In addition, inadequate election materials were supplied from his office during the governorship primary, disrupting the voting process and disenfranchising delegates.”

The aspirants further expressed concern over what they described as a growing exodus of party members to other political parties.

“We are alarmed that under his leadership, party members are leaving the APC in large numbers. Loyal members feel sidelined, unprotected, and disrespected. This exodus is weakening our party structure and threatens our electoral prospects in 2026 and beyond if urgent action is not taken.”

They called on the APC National Working Committee and other stakeholders to intervene and ensure the chairman’s immediate resignation.

“We therefore call on the APC National Working Committee and all relevant stakeholders to accept our position and facilitate the immediate resignation of the state chairman. The future of the APC in Oyo State depends on transparent leadership, respect for party rules, and justice for all members. We remain committed to building a united party, but that can only happen when the right thing is done.”