Politics
Alleged anti-party: Fayemi nails self, says Adeyeye
Former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye has said that the recent condemnation of the formation of South West Agenda for 2023, (SWAGA) by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, is a confirmation that the governor is out of tune with party developmental practices and a seal on earlier allegation of being the mastermind of the suspension bid on Ado Ekiti Ward 8 Caretaker Chairman, Clement Afolabi
Media aide to the Chairman of the South West Agenda for 2023, (SWAGA) Sen. Adeyeye, Mr. Gboyega Adeoye, said this while reacting to a statement credited to Governor Fayemi that SWAGA was formed against a standing order by party hierarchy that no group should be formed within the All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Adeoye, in a statement issued on Friday and made available to newsmen described the reaction as mere kicks of a confused, dejected bigot, just as he expressed disappointment that a leader whose house is gradually being decimated could settle for “petty name-calling as response to critical anti-party indictments.”
According to him, “the nucleus of our statement was on the bid to suspend Hon. Clement Afolabi, the Caretaker Chairman of Ado Ekiti Ward 8, which coincidentally is the home Ward of one of our Leaders in Ekiti APC and current Senior Special Adviser to Mr President on Strategy and Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu.
“We, as well as the overwhelming majority of the people of Ekiti State know where such plot was coming from and we promptly reacted to check the consequence of an irrational plot we feel would further divide the party. Rather than facing the message, they are after the messenger,” the statement said.
Governor Fayemi, who reacted through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Segun Dipe, had stated that: “Just last year June (2020), the Lagos APC, led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu dissolved all groups within the party into the APC structure in the state,” noting that “a communique duly signed by the Governor’s Advisory Council, which is the highest decision-making body within the Lagos APC, all groups, including the two most powerful – The Mandate Group and Justice Forum – ceased to exist. The resolution, Tinubu himself said, was to restate the often-stated position that the only group known is the APC and not any of the factional groups.”
But, Adeoye, in the statement questioned, “Our response to this is a further explanation from the mischief makers on how the formation of SWAGA is connected with how a party squabble was resolved in Lagos?”.
He continued, “I think our people really need some education on SWAGA, which is an idea of a group of party loyalists from the western part of the country to present a common, credible and articulate candidate from the South West for the 2023 presidential election.
“By APC standard, it is expected that presidency should rotate back to the South after the expiration of the incumbent President Mohammadu Buhari’s eight years tenure. And these like minds put heads together to present a front to search for an aspirant that can bid favourably and creditably with whoever may aspire from the other geographical parts of the south. And they found a suitable person in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“SWAGA has been operating openly since January and it has been inaugurated in four western states of Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ondo States with funfair. And we ask: Why is it now that preparation is in top gear to launch in Ekiti that this noise gets audible; how does a bread suddenly became stone at the turn of a toothless man?
“And to nail their own coffin the statement added in testimony to their illusion that: “the comments credited to the governor during last week’s ‘The Platform’ event in Lagos was a testimony of his altruistic and democratic acumen.
“While fielding questions on the agitations by the youths, Governor Fayemi said the young people should stop agonising and start organizing. And that if they don’t like what APC is doing, there’s only one way: Let them organize, go to a party of their choice and vote against us”, the statement added.
Adeoye further opined that the statement is self-indicting as it is expected of a leader, close to governance, to use such opportunity to enlighten the public on the intricacies of leadership at this time of global crises, engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of the crash of oil price in the international market and the attendant negative effects on our economy.
“To this, we say there can never be a better way to a leaders’ viciousness and democratic ignorance. Leaders build, leaders educate, leaders don’t destroy”, the statement concluded.
Market men and women across Oyo South Senatorial District have declared support for the senatorial ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the district, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, and reaffirmed their backing for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The traders said their endorsement was driven by the lawmaker’s sustained grassroots interventions and what they described as his people-centred representation.
The endorsement came on Monday during an interactive engagement in Ibadan with market stakeholders drawn from the nine local government areas of the senatorial district.
At the event, Oseni supported market men and women across the district with N90 million, with each of the nine local government areas receiving N10 million to boost petty trading, expand businesses and stimulate grassroots economic activity.
In a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, the lawmaker said the intervention was part of efforts to improve livelihoods and deepen economic inclusion, particularly among small-scale traders.
Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said empowering market operators remained central to his development agenda.
He said markets remained the heartbeat of local communities, noting that traders’ resilience continues to sustain families and drive local economies.
“This intervention is aimed at strengthening their businesses, easing economic pressure and encouraging enterprise at the grassroots,” he said.
The APC chieftain added that his representation would continue to focus on practical interventions with visible impact.
“Leadership must translate into visible impact. I remain committed to initiatives that support small businesses, create opportunities for growth and complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Oseni also canvassed support for President Tinubu among traders in Oyo South, saying stronger alignment between federal, state, senatorial and local government leadership would accelerate development in the state.
He listed the Tinubu administration’s initiatives to include the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND, measures to curb industrial actions in tertiary institutions, tuition-free technical colleges, construction and rehabilitation of major highways, agricultural support programmes and subsidies for cancer treatment, fuel subsidy removal, which he noted has boosted state and local government revenues.
He urged traders to mobilise support for APC candidates in the next general elections, expressing confidence that Tinubu’s re-election would further improve residents’ welfare.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Coordinator of Market Men and Women in Oyo South Senatorial District and Babaloja of Omi-Adio and Ido Local Government, Chief Odedele Waheed, commended the turnout and described the engagement as a demonstration of confidence in Oseni’s leadership.
He lauded the lawmaker for sustained grassroots development efforts, noting that the N90 million support would strengthen businesses across the district.
Odedele also commended the leadership of market men and women in Oyo State for granting traders approval to meet and interact with the lawmaker, saying the platform allowed them to express concerns and understand his vision for Oyo South.
The traders pledged to mobilise support across markets in the district in favour of Oseni’s electoral bid and President Tinubu’s re-election.
Those present included the Babaloja of Ibadan North East, Ibrahim Balogun; Babaloja of Ibadan South West, Rafiu Iyo; Babaloja of Ibadan North West, Alhaji Tajudeen Hammed; Alhaji Abdulraman Salawudeen; Asiwaju Oloja of Ibarapa Zone, Chief Okanlawon John Adebisi; Babaloja of Ibadan North, Chief Adewole Basirat; and Iyaloja of Ibarapa Central, Chief Ige Fausat, among others.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, saying Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals and secure a second term in office.
According to Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede, garnered 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Dare Bejide, secured 12,872 votes.
She said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. The electoral umpire also announced that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration capped a governorship poll largely adjudged peaceful by observers and security agencies, despite complaints of malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, delayed commencement of voting in some polling units and allegations of voter intimidation by opposition parties.
INEC said voting was conducted in all the 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas, noting that 2,257 units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8.30 a.m., while 188 polling units commenced accreditation and voting before 10.30 a.m. after experiencing minor delays.
The commission also commenced uploading polling unit results to its Results Viewing Portal shortly after the completion of voting and counting in several centres.
The PDP candidate, Oluyede, had expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, alleging that many prospective voters were disenfranchised due to BVAS-related challenges.
Speaking with journalists after voting at Polling Unit 006, he further alleged cases of harassment and intimidation of voters in the area.
Some elderly voters at the polling unit also lamented difficulties encountered during accreditation and urged INEC to urgently rectify the technical glitches.
The ADC candidate, Bejide, similarly alleged irregularities during the exercise.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the claims, insisting that those making allegations of electoral misconduct should provide credible evidence to support them.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the election as satisfactory and urged eligible voters yet to cast their ballots to do so peacefully.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies throughout the exercise.
Election observers commended the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the poll but raised concerns over procedural inconsistencies.
The First Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, described the process as orderly and peaceful, saying voter turnout was encouraging.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, lauded the resilience of female voters, many of whom remained at polling units for several hours with their children to exercise their franchise.
Yiaga Africa, however, expressed concern over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates, warning that such inconsistencies could create challenges during collation and reconciliation of results.
The election observer group urged INEC to provide further clarification on the final list of participating parties and candidates and issue clear guidance to electoral officials handling result documentation.
Ahead of the poll, INEC and security agencies had repeatedly assured residents of their preparedness to deliver a peaceful, credible and transparent election, deploying personnel and restricting vehicular movement to forestall electoral violence and other offences.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has rejected plans by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to conduct another local government election on December 26, 2026, describing the proposed exercise as illegal, premature and a calculated move to retain political influence at the grassroots beyond the governor’s tenure.
The party declared that it would neither participate in the election nor remain silent over what it termed an attempt to squander public resources on a process allegedly designed to install loyalists in the 33 local government councils and 351 wards across the state.
The controversy followed the decision of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to shift the date earlier fixed for January 2027 to December 26, 2026, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The move has continued to generate debate among political observers, many of whom have questioned the urgency of conducting another council poll barely six months before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors elected in the 2024 local government elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said it would not stop at boycotting the election but would also collaborate with “patriots and rational minds” to resist what it called an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
The party accused Governor Makinde of lacking commitment to local government autonomy, alleging that the administration had exercised undue control over council resources for more than seven years.
“The whole world knows that Governor Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy and, when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted for anything,” the statement said.
The APC alleged that the proposed poll was aimed at positioning individuals loyal to the governor in local councils before his exit from office on May 29, 2027, arguing that such a move would enable him to sustain political influence after leaving the Agodi Government House.
According to the opposition party, expectations among many residents are centred on ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthen local government autonomy and ensure that councils enjoy direct access to their statutory allocations without interference from state governments.
The APC also linked what it described as poor development outcomes in some rural communities to the operation of the state-local government joint account system. It cited communities such as Ahoro Esiele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area, which have reportedly faced security challenges, as examples of areas where local government resources should have translated into visible improvements.
“It is sad that Governor Makinde appears determined to sustain a system that has left many rural communities vulnerable despite huge allocations accruing to local governments monthly,” the party said.
The opposition further dismissed the local government elections conducted in 2020 and 2024 as lacking credibility, alleging that winners emerged through predetermined outcomes rather than a transparent electoral process.
“The fraud called local government polls in 2020 and 2024 should be the last the people of Oyo State would witness. Governor Makinde and his supporters should bury any thought of staging another charade in which results are announced without genuine voting and public offices become tools for the diversion of public funds,” the statement added.
The APC consequently urged officials of OYSIEC to halt preparations for the proposed December election, warning against actions capable of undermining democratic values and public confidence in the electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Oyo State Government nor OYSIEC had issued an official response to the allegations raised by the opposition party.
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