Six Years After Ajimobi: Old Oyo APC Members Abandon His Anniversary

…As New PDP Members Take Over

By Olusesan Laoye

There have been strong indications that all is still not well with the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC), and this became glaring at the sixth memorial anniversary of the death of the former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, held recently at his private residence in Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, as it was observed that the event was not well attended by those regarded as core Progressives in the state.

The event was not even as glamorous as it used to be. The irony is that since his death, the APC family, which he held together, has remained in the doldrums.

At the anniversary, which was attended by former PDP members in the APC and other dignitaries, encomiums were showered on him. He was praised by all those who attended the ceremony as a man who, till his death, kept the flag of the Progressives flying and never departed from the ideals and principles of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the father of the Progressives, Chief Bola Ige, and Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, from whom Ajimobi took over the mantle of Progressive leadership in Oyo State.

Although there were signs that the party might not be able to sustain the momentum left behind by both Bola Ige and Alhaji Lam Adesina in Oyo State, the party only started manifesting complacency after the death of Lam Adesina. However, Ajimobi’s governorship maintained that unity, and he was able to prevent the Progressive family from drifting apart.

Though there were still some skirmishes, they were effectively managed through appointments involving key leaders and some aggrieved members whom Ajimobi had outwitted to become governor.

However, the party has failed to regain its bearing since 2018, when it lost power and became the opposition.

Personal Alliance Against the Party

The worst scenario for the party came in 2023, when it ought to have learnt its lessons and come together. However, due to the internal crisis resulting from the struggle over who should fly the party’s flag, there were allegations that some party leaders worked underground to pave the way for the incumbent, Governor Seyi Makinde, to win a second term, similar to what allegedly happened during his first-term victory. In fact, there were insinuations that President Bola Tinubu abandoned the party in the state and its candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, in an agreement with Governor Makinde to win the state.

The crisis of 2022 appeared to have been resolved during a reconciliation meeting held earlier this year at the party’s state secretariat, where all the warring factions came together and pledged their loyalty to the party and its national leader, President Bola Tinubu, at whose instance the reconciliation took place.

After that meeting, many thought the unity had been cemented and that there would be no more cracks in the party. However, the recent primaries for various political offices ahead of the 2027 general election now appear to have thrown a spanner in the works, with indications that old wounds have not been properly healed.

What is now on the lips of many party members is that the APC has not been the same as it was under the leadership of people like Chief Wole Oke and the immediate past chairman of the party, Alhaji Moshood Olaide Abass.

It was also argued that what is happening in the party today under the new chairman, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, could not have happened when the party had strong leadership under Lam Adesina, Baba Michael Koleoso, Chief Wole Oke, Alhaji Abass, and other leaders.

As a party member told Business Hallmark on condition of anonymity, “The party has turned into what it is today because those who are not core Progressives have infiltrated the party and pushed the real Progressives aside.”

He said those calling the shots in the party, such as the former Senate Leader under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Teslim Folarin, Adeseun, and even Senator Sarafadeen Alli, whose endorsement as the governorship candidate is still being contested by some members of the party, especially those who came together as the G-5 governorship aspirants, all came from the PDP to take over the party.

He further argued that Chief Adebayo Adelabu could not be described as a Progressive because his grandfather, Chief Adegoke Adelabu, was never in the camp of the Progressives led by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but belonged to a different political camp. According to him, it was the late Ajimobi who brought Adebayo Adelabu into the Progressive fold as his political son.

He added that despite Adelabu’s loyalty to the Progressive family and the APC after being adopted by Ajimobi, he had not enjoyed the support of the party, which, according to him, has contributed to the current problems in the APC.

Partial to Some Leaders

Another party member, who also requested anonymity, told Business Hallmark that the APC has been unfair to some of its leaders. He specifically mentioned Senator Femi Lanlehin, whom he said has been marginalised.

He asked, “When last did you hear about Chief Lanlehin, whose father was one of the strong pillars of the Progressives in the old Western Region and who followed in his father’s footsteps? He worked for the emergence of President Tinubu as governor of Lagos State, yet late Ajimobi snatched the governorship ticket from him at the last minute. That incident allegedly caused some friction between the late Alhaji Lam Adesina and Tinubu.”

The member said that although Lanlehin later became a senator and performed well, those currently controlling the affairs of the APC in Oyo State, alongside political jugglers in the party, have sidelined people like Adebayo Shittu, who also contested the recent primary, Professor Adeolu Akande, Chief Goke Oyetunji, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, and others who should be providing leadership with their wealth of experience.

However, following what some party members described as the inconclusive APC governorship primary in Oyo State, a candidate appears to have emerged in the person of Senator Sarafadeen Alli, who, despite the grievances surrounding what has been described as his perceived imposition, has gone ahead to unveil his running mate, Hon. Adesoji Michael Adedeji, a younger brother of Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service. During the occasion, he reiterated his promise to run an all-inclusive government.

Imposition of Candidate

Despite the grievances surrounding his emergence, it is believed that, notwithstanding the silence of party leaders in Abuja over developments in the state, Sarafadeen Alli has moved on.

However, the aggrieved G-5 aspirants, who have opposed his candidature from the outset, have warned of the consequences the party may face if it goes into the 2027 governorship election with Alli as its candidate.

The position of these aspirants, who believe they have been marginalised and ignored after returning from Abuja, where they lodged their complaints, has become a strong indication that the APC in Oyo State remains a house divided against itself.

The G-5 warned that if party leaders at both the state and national levels allow the current situation to continue, danger is knocking at the party’s door. They said what happened in 2018 and 2023, which turned the APC into the opposition for eight years, could repeat itself in 2027.

The aggrieved governorship aspirants expressing dissatisfaction over the conduct of the primary and the utterances of some party leaders after the election are Engr. Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan, Musbau Asatola Asanike, Engr. Oyedele Akeem Aloa, Barr. Akeem Agbaje, and Dr. Usman Ololade Bakare.

In their joint statement sent to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, they said their primary concern is that there are forces deliberately shielding President Bola Tinubu from firsthand information on the true state of the Oyo APC.

According to them, “A national leader cannot steer the party correctly when ground realities are censored or kept from his knowledge. The party will bear the consequences of decisions made in a vacuum.”

They added, “A house that concedes before the contest is a house with a broken foundation. Let this resonate and circulate widely that Oyo APC is fast becoming a case study in democratic recession, where dissent is treated as disloyalty.

“A party founded on progressive ideals cannot afford to mortgage its future through anti-democratic desperation and shortcuts. If this continues, Oyo APC will face the full regret of failure in 2027.

“The signs are already evident. However, some people and groups within the party appear more comfortable with the party losing again, and the party leadership at the top should prevent this from happening. That is why there should be proper intervention in the affairs of the Oyo APC.”

Meanwhile, at the height of the governorship primary crisis, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, told Business Hallmark in a telephone interview that party officials had been directed not to comment on the situation.

“You see, I can’t say anything further until we hear from the national office of the party, and that is where the final decision will come from,” he said.