How Oyo APC Became Weaker Than It Was In 2019

For the record, the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 357,982 votes in the 2019 gubernatorial election to succumb the leadership baton to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which had 515,621 valid votes when it was strong. The party, based on the information available to us, has grown even weaker than it was during the 2019 election cycle.

Governor Seyi Makinde emerged victorious with the aid of a unified coalition of other candidates including Olufemi Lanlehin of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), and Barrister Sarafadeen Alli of the  Zenith Labour Party among others.

The crack in the leadership of the APC in the state also contributed to the eventual loss of the party to the incumbent governor, Seyi Makinde.

Four years later, the APC which struggled to breathe because of the storm of the coalition has a bigger piece to chew this time around because the majority of the bigwigs in the party four years ago have disappeared. 

Before one can conclude that the party has become weaker, let us consider the political whereabouts of the seven aspirants who picked the APC gubernatorial nomination form in 2019.

The aspirants who reliably purchased nomination forms under the party were Dr Owolabi Babalola; the then Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, former governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and Joseph Tegbe.

Dr Olusola Ayandele, Adebayo Adelabu and  Chief Adeniyi Akintola were also in the running to become the party’s gubernatorial flag bearer.

Surprisingly, most of them are against the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

Adebayo Adelabu 

At the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, the former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor emerged as the eventual flag bearer of the party in 2019  amid unresolved controversies.

Other contestants stepped down for his candidacy in a fashion that still baffles some political pundits till today.

In 2023, Adelabu lost the party’s ticket after polling 327 votes compared to the eventual winner, Senator Teslim Folarin who polled 954 votes. 

He was absent at the venue of the election, the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium. 

Afterwards, he defected to the Accord Party to clinch the party’s gubernatorial ticket and would be contesting in the 2023 gubernatorial election.

Chief Adeniyi Akintola

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) cried foul in 2019 before he pulled out of the race. 

When other candidates stepped down for Adelabu, he refused to do so as he was adamant, asking the party to conduct a normal primary. 

But as the election began, the legal icon announced his withdrawal from the race.

He was prepared for the game again in the 2023 race and obtained the party’s nomination form.

Subsequently, he pulled out of the primary alleging that the delegates’ list was tampered with.

As it stands, he has endorsed the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, Seyi Makinde and said he had bowed out of party politics. 

Dr Azeez Adeduntan 

The former Commissioner for Health in the state purchased the nomination form in 2019.

When he appeared on a radio programme a year after the election, he said he was told to step down by some elders he respected.

In 2023, he contested the primary election of the APC and had two votes.

On February 21, 2023, he dumped the APC for the PDP in the state.

"I AZEEZ POPOOLA ADEDUNTAN;-the OSI BASORUN OF IBADAN LAND, hereby resign my membership of APC effective today, TUESDAY, February 21st and defecting to PDP to support my brother ENG.SEYI Makinde for a well deserved 2nd term and BOLA AHMED TINUBU, as the next president of NIGERIA.

“I, therefore, direct all my supporters in LABOUR party (2011 candidate), PDP(2015 aspirant) 2019/2022(APC aspirant) to vote for both candidates. May GOD BLESS OYO STATE and the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. I thank you for your time", he said.

Dr Olusola Ayandele

Having lost the baton in 2019, he pursued the Oyo South senatorial ticket under the APC in 2023.

He lost the ticket to Barrister Sharafadeen Alli and has remained in the APC as of the time of filing this report.

The likes of Owolabi Babalola have become relatively quiet since the 2019 gubernatorial contest while former governor, Chief Adebayo Alao Akala was a member of the party until his demise on  January 12, 2022.

Barrister Adebayo Shitu according to one of his supporters who spoke with AllNews Nigeria in confidence has also retired from partisan politics while Joseph Tegbe has joined the PDP.

Tegbe is the PDP senatorial candidate for Oyo South senatorial district in the state.

It is then safe to say that the powerhouse which made up the APC in 2019 has debased four years down the line.

Senator Kola Balogun, the candidate that defeated former governor Abiola Ajimobi for the Oyo south senatorial seat alongside Seyi Makinde's 2019 running mate, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan headline new decampees that have joined the APC in the last four years.

At the same time, the number of intakes that join the party is less than those who have left, remained indifferent or lost their political sagacity