*A COSTLY GAME, OYO APC CANNOT AFFORD TO PLAY
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
HIS EXCELLENCY, ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR
Mr President, sir
We appreciate, as always, your doggedness, sacrifices and sense of purpose that birthed Nigeria’s democracy and eventually built our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), up from scratch, into a national and ruling party today in Nigeria. You have demonstrated great level of tolerance and patience as a political leader who believes in equity and fairness without losing focus. Because you are not just a listening leader, but also one who does not take people for granted in all matters, we write to you on issues of concern in our party ahead of the 2027 elections in Oyo State.
For us, TINUBU BEYOND 2027, of course, is non-negotiable. But the case of the APC in Oyo State at this point calls for concern and requires deliberate, urgent, proactive, realistic, and inclusive approach that will not only win an election, but also sustain the party beyond the victory of 2027, God-willing. While we believe that there is no perfect system, the APC cannot afford to build on the sentiments of some aspirants, whose primitive antics of totalitarianism, crude penchant for non-transparency and predilection for sabotaging due process in all things, have been our undoing in Oyo State till date. If there is any lesson from the defeat suffered in the 2019 and 2023 elections, it is that our party must tread with great caution and be careful with name-droppers and manipulators, privates parading themselves as generals.
The Zoning Committee
There have been a lot of issues raised on the ‘wisemen’ who zoned the state’s party executive offices for consensus in Oyo State. The first is: why was the composition of the committee shrouded in secrecy? Who set it up? Was it truly the presidency as some ‘name-droppers’ claim? Did the party at the national level ever announce the formation of that committee? Can we ignore those who opined that it cannot be classified as a product of any stakeholders’ meeting in APC, Oyo State because of the obvious exclusion of two major zones (Oke-Ogun I and II) that currently have the highest number of party membership in Oyo State, or claim it was just an act of irredeemable omission?
From another perspective, the committee is seen as a collection of Personal Assistants/Aides (PAs) of a few aspirants and influential members from some zones, excluding others.
The Stakeholders’ Meeting of Sunday March 1, 2026
This meeting has been described as a gathering called to listen to a ‘riot act’ because there was no discussion at all! Only issuance of instructions by the committee! In a democracy?
The Choice of Nominees for the State Executives and The State Congress
As noted in many Local Government Areas, the local leader(s) who nominated those occupying most offices at the state level are still unknown. The consensus is being queried in some quarters where it is believed that the nomination was only done on their behalf without any consultation with party stakeholders in the affected places.
The Fallout of the Ward and Local Government Congresses
It is a costly mistake to think that Oyo is cool and calm. It is, in fact, dangerous, and inimical to our party’s success. The situation in many wards is so sensitive and threatens to undermine the success of the party in the coming elections. Decency was thrown overboard as outcomes of some duly conducted ward and Local Government congresses were overturned at the state level by certain interests against the majority. The case of Itesiwaju LGA where the list from factions that were absent at the local congress was published by the state for inauguration is of concern.
With what is happening in Irepo LGA where the agreed list completely changed at APC State office and other petitions from some others like Atisbo, Ogbomoso South, Oorelope, Saki West, Ibadan North-West and South-West LGAs, among others, call for critical attention in order to promote fairness, justice and inclusion in the interest of the party. We believe this attitude negates the spirit of the new electoral law recently accented to by Mr President which emphasizes direct primaries or consensus in a congress setting for choosing representatives at the party level.
Zonal and National Offices
With the manifestations seen so far on wards, Local Governments and state offices, it will be difficult to doubt the claims that the zonal and national offices or nominees allotted to Oyo State APC have been covertly handled in like manner either as it pleases ‘name-droppers’ or in the wisdom of the ‘wisemen’. Oyo APC needs help beyond name-dropping, moneybags or mere propaganda. The prevailing make-believe is dangerous for our dear party.
The Call to Build this Party First
Sincerely, we need a re-ordering in Oyo APC for the better. The current situation portends danger and should be dealt with decisively. While a majority of party members believe in the need to build a stronger party for coming elections, the desperate, over-ambitious aspirants must be tamed. Party unity must come first. Transparency must be the watchword, even as we accommodate people who have gone back and forth, up and down, in pursuit of their inordinate ambitions, only to return to urinate again into the stream they hope to drink from!
The silence in APC Oyo State should not be mistaken for peace and we plead with Your Excellency, Mr President, to please rescue APC Oyo State from desperate destroyers, manipulators who are dropping your name all over the state, but are determined to make the party crash again in 2027.
May God help and keep you, Mr President!
May APC wax stronger !!
May APC Oyo State get it right !!!
Signed for Ireakari Group
• Amb. ‘Debo Adesina – Chair
• Mallam Ope Adisa – Secretary
• Alh. Waheed Ogundipe – Ibadan Main
• Barr. Dimeji Adewole – Oke-Ogun I
• Dr ‘Wale Akinleye – Oyo
• Mr Olusegun Adekunle – Ibadan Outer
• Alh. Ibrahim K. Ola – Oke-Ogun II
• Prince Awoyemi Abiodun – Ogbomoso
• Mrs Adesola Bola – Ibarapa
