Politics
2019: Akala, Folarin, Arapaja, others’ defection ’ll further strengthen Oyo APC – Ajimobi’s Aide
THE game is continuity, as the political class in the pacesetter state scheme and manoeuvre amidst suspicion and skin deep intrigues. Politics of preservation manifests in Oyo State, as political gladiators realign to protect and further hiding interests.
Political barriers were broken; politicians were united. Very recently, the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi held a meeting with his predecessor, Adebayo Alao Akala and the former senate leader, Teslim Folarin at Alao Akala’s residence in London.
No doubt, the meeting which served as a political realignment ahead of 2019 election in the state has yielded positive fruit.
Also, the Executive Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Political Matters, Dr. Morohunkola Thomas has described the arrival of these bigwigs from other political parties as part of the governor’s overhaul strategy, a strategy of accommodation and ability to headhunt skillful strikers.
With the array of political bigwigs that have joined APC, Dr. Thomas, in a chat with Mega Icon Magazine while analysing political permutations asserted that the party (APC) has been repositioned to win future elections. Excerpts
With the influx of some political bigwigs into the APC in Oyo state, of what importance do you think this will have on the party especially as 2019 election beckons?
Well, 2019 is quite far because we are still in 2017 and I do know that electoral contest is a short distance race. We are very busy with governance. Although, on a daily basis we are strategizing with regards, not just to the general elections but to the coming local government elections that will certainly take place in Oyo state.
Regards arrival of some bigwigs from other political parties, I think its part of our overhaul strategy, a strategy of accommodation, a strategy of enlarging our scope, a strategy of our being broadminded and our ability to headhunt skillful strikers and people that are also good in defence. We are bringing them on board and these are people that have done very well in terms of electoral contests in the past. They are not people who came into office on the basis of sentiments or some spiritual helps so to say.
They are people that have demonstrated their worth in the political space in recent past in the state. For us, it shows that we are team like Manchester United or Manchester City that is ever looking forward to winning. Our goal is to develop Oyo State and at the same time looking for allies who believe in our philosophy, who believe in our principles, and who can work with us to make sure that we are the dominant force in Oyo state.
We are very conscious of the existence of an ultrawin conservative elements in group in Oyo state as represented by the leader of Accord. They don’t look at anything positively, very negative in their approaches, very deceitful and they have never undertaken policies in favour of the people in the past when you x-ray their performances in government. The people that are coming on board now are people that people speak well of their glorious days. So, we cleverly search for people that can buy into our philosophy so that we can remain the dominant political force in the state.
If you look at it now, in the last elections in Ibadan less city, we won only in two local governments – Oluyole and Ido. We are now bringing in Teslim Folarin who is from that area so that we can do better in that place. And Teslim Folarin has followers in many of the local governments in Oyo state. If you look at Ogbomoso, we have never done too well in all our electoral appearances, so former governor Akala has come on board very strongly.
If Ogbomoso is secured and we can still have our strong hold in Oke -Ogun, Ibadan votes, we will split it. That means that we will carry the day. We don’t run our elections based on sentiments but purely scientific and we are constantly doing our studies. We know where we are weak, we know where we are strong. Where we are weak, we are trying to get people to come on board and be with us.
But, these people are coming with various ambitions.
Every politician is ambitious and the major ambition of any politician is to seize power, to get hold of power so that he can use that power to execute his programmes. So, every politician has a reason for being in politics. You just don’t get into politics for nothing. If they are coming with ambitions, may be they want to be governor, senators, strong members, executive members of the party, it is legitimate.
In the old ACN, people like us joined and because of our backgrounds we got our ways. So, it is also legitimate for people to come. A number of ex-PDP elements joined in forming the APC, people like Kwankwaso, Rotimi Ameachi, Bukola Saraki. They all came with ambitions and some people scaled through with their ambitions and some didn’t. The ambition of the founding fathers of the APC is to form a coalition between the North and the Southwest for the purpose of getting to power because we found out that no single region of the country can get power on its own. So, if these people come into the APC in Oyo State with ambitions, they are free to pursue it legitimately, if they get through, fine, if they don’t get through there are machineries in the party that is organized not in the same way with the PDP.
If you don’t get it, you don’t get it, you wait for another time . Here we have some people who didn’t scaled through with their ambitions, they are accommodated elsewhere.
Some of these celebrated politicians were elements that led to the destruction of PDP in Oyo state. Are you sure their coming would not also contaminate the APC?
In the case of destruction of PDP, the PDP has a different history. The PDP was unfortunate to have a man whose intellectual credibility is questioned as its national leader at that time. When Obasanjo was the leader of the PDP, the then PDP didn’t suffered this destruction in spite of the third term agenda. As soon as Jonathan came, we see what happened. Any organization that is run on the basis of laissez-faire leadership will go into extinction like PDP, they are just gathering the pieces.
I can tell you, even among them, those of them that have not shown their faces now are still coming on board.
It would be recalled that scarcity of cards hits Oyo PDP one day after membership registration began. Are you not threatened with the encouraging registration enjoyed by the PDP?
How can we be threatened? We have about close to 700,000 members of APC in Oyo State, so what can 200,000 do? In Ibadan Northwest/Southwest alone APC is looking about over 70,000 members in the two local governments. Now with the coming of Alao Akala, Teslim Folarin, coming of Taofeek Arapaja and their members, I can tell you that we are going to have over 1million members of the APC.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday held a high-level strategic meeting with the Oyo State chapter of the party as part of efforts to reposition the APC for victory and prevent internal crisis ahead of the polls.
The development was first scooped by OYOINSIGHT.COM which quoted multiple party sources familiar with the closed-door deliberations.
Sources disclosed that the meeting, held in Abuja, focused largely on a consensus arrangement being considered by stakeholders of the party in Oyo State, in line with political templates reportedly being adopted in Lagos and Ogun states ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Party insiders said the move was aimed at strengthening unity within the fold of the opposition party in the state, minimising rancour during the primaries and presenting a formidable front against rival parties in 2027.
It was further gathered that some members of the state executive committee may have been subtly informed about preferred consensus candidates being considered for elective positions across the state.
Though details of the deliberations were still sketchy as of press time, sources hinted that the national leadership stressed the need for cohesion, discipline and strategic alignment among stakeholders to improve the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo.
Those at the meeting included the Oyo APC Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo; the state secretary, Fatai Adesina Adeniyi; the Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare; the Organising Secretary, Aderemi Adepoju; and the Legal Adviser, Sunday Aborisade.
Others were the Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde; the Youth Leader, Olalekan Oladejo; Joshua Oyebamiji; Tunde Oloyede; Sunday Babalola; Joseph Omoniyi; and Mojeed Adebayo.
As of the time of filing this report, the party had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, on Monday assured aspirants and party members that the party would conduct transparent, peaceful and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo declared that no aspirant would be victimised or denied a level playing field, stressing that the party leadership remained committed to internal democracy and progressive ideals.
The former deputy governor spoke while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He disclosed that although the party initially explored consensus arrangements across elective positions, prevailing realities indicated that direct primaries would be conducted in some areas, including the governorship contest.
Adeyemo said the party had already put necessary structures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise capable of strengthening unity within the APC.
He said: “We set machineries in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option which is direct primary in certain cases including the governorship ticket.
“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.
“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries and we at the state level would provide the required support to make everything work out in the interest of our great party.”
The APC chairman explained that all registered party members would participate fully in the exercise at their respective wards on dates to be announced by the National Secretariat.
According to him, affirmation would be adopted in areas where consensus candidates emerge, while voting would be conducted wherever direct primaries become necessary.
“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Screening Committee and former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Taofiq AbdusSalam, assured party faithful that the committee would carry out a thorough, transparent and unbiased screening process.
He said only eligible aspirants would be cleared to participate in the primaries and eventually fly the APC flag in the forthcoming elections.
Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade and Olabamiji Agunloye.
Members of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary) and Jelil Jimoh.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Saturday zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, declaring that the party’s candidate would serve a single four-year term if elected.
The decision was reached during the party’s national convention held in Abuja amid growing momentum within the opposition platform following a wave of high-profile defections from other political parties.
Announcing the development on its official social media handle, the party stated, “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The party also resolved that its 2031 presidential ticket would be ceded to Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to maintain regional balance and internal equity.
The convention comes as key opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined party leaders and delegates at the Abuja gathering.
Saturday’s convention is expected to ratify several recent decisions taken by the party’s National Executive Committee, including zoning arrangements, amendments to the party constitution, and the election of new national executives.
According to the convention agenda obtained by journalists, discussions centred on zoning, ratification of the amended constitution, and leadership restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has in recent weeks witnessed a surge in defections from rival opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Their defections were formally announced during plenary at the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The defections came barely two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC from the ADC.
The duo were presented with the party’s membership cards last Sunday shortly after a closed-door meeting with party leaders.
A former Governor of Bayelsa State and NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, officially welcomed the opposition figures into the party.
Obi had attributed his exit from the ADC to worsening internal crises, external interference and what he described as increasing hostility within party structures.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s political environment had become increasingly toxic, marked by intimidation, insecurity and sustained scrutiny of opposition figures.
He also lamented that institutions meant to protect citizens were now often deployed against them, while individuals committed to genuine public service faced mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
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