Politics
SENACO, LAMIST are creations of lazy people in Oyo APC – Morohunkola Thomas.
ALMOST two years to the next general elections in Nigeria; various political gladiators have engaged in serious political activities, especially to be in control of the internal organs of the existing political parties. The battle for the soul of the parties is becoming vigorous due to perceived fragment.
It is obvious that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State is currently undergoing such challenge as the party sharply divided into two major splinter groups, labeled LAMIST and SENACO. Members of the LAMIST group are said to be loyal to a former leader of the party in the state, late Lam Adesina.
While the SENACO members were those that worked with the incumbent governor, Abiola Ajimobi when he contested the governorship election of the state in 2007 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
However, the Executive Assistant on political matters to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Barrister Morohunkola Thomas in this interview with Mega Icon Magazine described the claims of loyalty to SENACO and LAMIST as a creation of lazy members of the party.
Excerpts:
Is it true that there is crisis in Oyo APC?
Crisis? I can’t see it.
Some people are accusing the governor of not running an all inclusive government, that party-government relationship is not cordial as it should be?
Who are the people in government here, are they not party members? You want to talk about the SENACO , LAMIST which is a figment of people’s imagination. People use that to corner things for themselves. In this government which Governor Ajimobi is a leader, the so called SENACO and LAMIST, have their members here but when people don’t get certain things they would say they lost it because they belong to SENACO or LAMIST.
If you are not popular within your local government, if you are not hardworking within the party and you are not recommended by your people, you may never get anything .The governor will never appoint somebody without due consultation and involvement of the leaders in the party , he is always waiting for recommendations of the leaders.
Take for instance, the newly appointed local government caretaker chairmen, the governor set up a selection and appointment committee made up of leaders from all the seven zones, these were the people that sat down to take nominations from the various local governments and made their recommendations to the governor. Many of the local government chairmen that were sworn in were never known personally by the governor so you have to go back to the local government, you have to work in your wards and local governments, forget about whether you are SENACO or you are LAMIST, those things don’t work again.
What is LAMIST? Those people that said they are following Lam Adesina, you don’t follow a dead person, and what is SENACO, they said Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organization, is Ajimobi a Senator ? He is a governor now so there is no Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organization again, that organization existed in 2003, the man stop being a Senator in 2007, he is a governor now and the governor has said this issue of SENACO, LAMIST is the creation of lazy people in the party, people who don’t have intimidating credentials that will make way for them, within the system and now hide under the fact that I didn’t get it because I am SENACO, or I got it because I am LAMIST, that is not true, those era of LAMISM, SENACOISM is gone in our party.
What about the claims that the governor is not in tune with majority of the party executives and members?
Well I don’t know about that. The party executives were elected into office at a congress in 2014 and by 2018 their time will be up, you have to come for re-election. Has this governor removed anybody from the executives? He hasn’t and some governors have dissolved the executives in their states, but governor Ajimobi has been magnanimous enough.
Remember, these executives that are in place now, he was not the one that put them there, he had the opportunity of changing them in 2014 but he did not do so, so there is no problem when the time comes for the new executives to be put there, if you are interested you can take a nomination form, you run for the election, if the people elect you so be it, Ajimobi will not be party chairman, he is the leader of the party.
But party members are worried about the new concept of Directorate which seems to be alien?
There is nothing alien about that, if you read the constitution of APC very well, it makes serious profound clearly stated provision for the establishment of Directorate in the party, as a matter of fact, the constitution state very clearly, unambiguously that the directors ought to run the party , its only the party secretary that is supposed to be running it with them, all other members of the executives should be coming once in a while, so what we are running now is not a constitutionally provided situation, it is the convention, a tradition.
The constitution says a director should be there . Let me tell you something, late Chief Owoade was the Director of Finance and Admin in the party, if there is a desire now to have more directors in line with position held by Chief Owoade, what is wrong with that? Don’t forget also, when we were in Alliance for Democracy (AD) Opeyemi Bamidele was our Director of Publicity in AD that time even though, we have a National Publicity Secretary.
It was from there that Opeyemi Bamidele becomes Commissioner for Information in Lagos state, go back to the UPN days, Chief Ebenezer Babatope was the Director of Organization for the UPN even though there was an Organising Secretary, and Chief Ajuluchukwu was the Director of Publicity for the party. So having directorate in the party is not alien, it is in the constitution, in the AD it was there, in the UPN it was there so if APC put it in the constitution it should be implemented.
Who are those eligible to be members of the said Directorate?
That depends on the leaders of the party but they have to be members of the party who are qualified in their various fields. For instance, if you want to be a director of finance in the party now you must be a qualified accounting officer and expert in financial matters, this is a modern party, we are not running NPN, we are running APC.
Aspirants are already claiming to have secured Ajimobi’s endorsement, as a political adviser to the governor, has the governor anointed any candidate?
Does it make sense for anybody in May 2017 to be anointing somebody that will take over in May 2019? You know he is in position, he is the governor, if anybody is saying that Ajimobi has endorsed anybody they are illiterates, those who says Ajimobi has thrown his weight behind anybody are political illiterates. I say that with all sense of responsibilities that they don’t know what they are saying.
Ajimobi has no anointed candidate, he has not told me, I have not seen it in his body language, it’s a level playing ground for everybody, many people will still join the race.
How would you react to the perceived crisis in your party as over 35 aspirants jostle for governorship ticket?
Very easy! There are pretenders to the throne. There are people who are coming out because they want to use it to negotiate, its all part of politicking and I want to say that in 2011 there are about 11 people who jostled for the same seat with Governor Ajimobi before he got it. So in 2019, somebody will get it, when we get to the bridge we shall cross it.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the judgement of the Federal High Court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the PDP led by a former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), challenging the jurisdiction of the lower court to entertain the suit.
The appeal formed part of nine harmonised appeals brought by the Turaki-led faction against the October 31, 2025 judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred INEC from validating the outcome of the party’s November 15 and 16, 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal affirmed that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the suit, rejecting the argument that the dispute was merely an internal affair of the party.
The court held that the appellants could not “repackage a clear violation of the party’s constitution and that of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an internal party affair.”
Justice Onyemenam further held that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory provisions required before a valid national convention could be held.
Among other findings, the court stated that no valid notice of the convention was served on INEC as required by law and that valid congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states before the convention was convened.
The appellate court stressed that compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the party’s constitution and guidelines was fundamental to democratic governance.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and the party Constitution and Guidelines strikes at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the judge held.
The court subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded ₦2m in costs against the appellants.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had in his October 31, 2025 judgement restrained INEC from receiving, publishing, or recognising the outcome of the convention until the party complied with relevant provisions of the law.
The trial judge held that evidence before the court showed that congresses were not conducted in some states of the federation and that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21-day notice required to enable INEC monitor its meetings and congresses.
Justice Omotosho also ruled that notices and correspondence issued by the party’s National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary were invalid.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 was filed by three aggrieved PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, the Imo State PDP Chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, the Abia State PDP Chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, the PDP Secretary for the South-South.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), had asked the court to stop the planned convention where new national officers of the party were expected to be elected.
Those listed as defendants in the suit included INEC, the PDP, the party’s National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, the PDP National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, Acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa, and Emmanuel Ogidi.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Oyo State has berated Governor Seyi Makinde and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over what it described as a fresh wave of political violence in the state.
The party said residents across the state deserved peace and stability even as they look forward to what it called a post-PDP era beginning from May 29, 2027.
Tension reportedly gripped parts of the state on Saturday when factions within the ruling PDP allegedly clashed during the conduct of a parallel Local Government Congress.
The development, according to reports, further highlighted the lingering internal crisis within the ruling party in the state.
Reacting to the incident, the APC, in a statement issued at the weekend and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, accused Makinde of worsening the concerns of residents by allegedly encouraging threats and violent confrontations among members of his party.
Sadare also faulted the governor over what he described as the government’s inability to adequately tackle security challenges such as kidnapping and banditry in parts of the state.
“The minds of many citizens were cast back to the days of political violence and unrest on Saturday when they witnessed how sponsored thugs and other criminal elements unleashed terror on PDP members who were opposed to the reported high-handedness and egocentric leadership style of Governor Makinde,” Sadare said.
He added that the aggrieved members of the PDP allegedly organised a separate ward congress which was reportedly disrupted by hoodlums in areas including Ibarapa North, Iseyin, Ibadan North-East and Ibadan North, among other local government areas.
“We recalled that the same set of hoodlums and their now out-of-favour leader, who is currently behind bars on the order of his estranged godfather, were responsible for a series of attacks against leaders and members of the APC during the electioneering period of the last general elections,” he stated.
“This time, it was brothers against brothers as factions within the PDP struggled to take control of the party structure.”
Sadare further alleged that while some thugs were deployed to disrupt the Local Government Congress, another group of hoodlums was mobilised to attack the Ibadan residence of a prominent PDP chieftain.
“An army of vicious hoodlums was mobilised to the Ibadan home of a chieftain of the party where they destroyed many cars and properties worth several billions of naira,” he stressed.
“They also inflicted varying degrees of injuries on men and women believed to be loyal to the faction associated with Nyesom Wike.”
Condemning the development, the APC spokesman urged Makinde to adopt dialogue rather than confrontation in resolving political disagreements.
“While this development remains condemnable, we urge Governor Makinde to have a rethink and learn to employ dialogue as a potent tool in resolving disputes and not violence or confrontation,” Sadare added.
He also called on security agencies to investigate the incidents with a view to identifying the perpetrators and their sponsors, stressing that the state could not afford a return to the era of widespread political violence.
A former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, has been sworn in as the Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging members of the party to rally support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo formally assumed office on Friday following the inauguration of the newly elected State Executive Committee members who will manage the affairs of the party in the state for the next four years.
The inauguration ceremony, held at the party’s State Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, marked the climax of the party’s 2026 congresses in the state.
The South-West Zonal Legal Adviser of the APC, Kolawole Majaro, administered the oath of office on Adeyemo and 35 other members of the State Executive Committee.
The executives had emerged through a consensus arrangement during the March 3, 2026 state congress held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, under the supervision of a committee led by Amos Gombi from the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
In his acceptance speech, Adeyemo described his emergence as a renewed call to service, pledging to strengthen the party and sustain unity among members.
He appreciated party leaders within and outside the state for ensuring a smooth and successful congress process.
Adeyemo also commended members of the Local Organising Committee, particularly Fatai Ibikunle and Afeez Bolaji Repete, for their contributions to the success of the exercise.
He said, “This new State Executive Committee under my leadership is being put in place to add value and strengthen our great party in view of the challenges ahead.
“We have used the opportunity of the congresses to showcase our collective commitment to unity and harmony as progressives and democrats.”
The new chairman expressed optimism that the atmosphere of peace within the party would be sustained ahead of future party primaries and the 2027 elections.
According to him, the party’s target is to secure 90 per cent of the votes in Oyo State for President Tinubu while also reclaiming the state’s Government House in 2027.
Adeyemo praised the President’s leadership, saying the administration was delivering on its promises.
“President Tinubu is, no doubt, performing beyond our expectations and the best way to appreciate his good work is to retain him in Aso Rock until 2031,” he said.
“Against all odds, the President is pursuing his Renewed Hope Agenda with vigour and passion, while the positive results are being felt across sectors of the economy and national life.”
Other members of the newly inaugurated executive include Taofeek Lamidi as Deputy Chairman, Fatai Adesina as State Secretary, Adekemi Opatunde as Woman Leader, Olawale Sadare as Publicity Secretary, Olalekan Oladejo as Youth Leader, and Remi Adepoju as Organising Secretary.
Also inaugurated were Ajiboye Akinsanya as Treasurer, Sunday Aborisade as Legal Adviser, Tinuade Adigun as Auditor, Lukman Owonikoko as Assistant State Secretary, Fatimah Hassan as Deputy Woman Leader, and Jimoh Osundara as the Leader of Persons Living With Disabilities, among others.
