Politics
Oyo APC leaders kick against alleged ‘fake’ delegates’ list, boycott congress
Leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state have kicked against the alleged falsified delegates’ list for the position of the state party’s executive, boycotting the state congress billed for Saturday.
The APC leaders, who stated this at a press conference held at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan, also appealed to the national leadership of the party to postpone the state congress till an authentic delegates’ list is provided.
The press conference, had in attendance , former Sen. Ayo Adeseun, Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Sunday Dare, former senator Olufemi Lanlehin Olasunkanmi Tegbe, the 2019 flag bearer of the Party, Adebayo Adelabu, Fatai Ibikunle, former Oyo ALGON chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, Ex-Oyo SSG, Chief Sarafadeen Alli.
Federal lawmakers who attended the conference are Hon. Akeem Adeyemi, Hon. Shadipe Tolulope, former Oyo Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olagunju Ojo, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, and Chief Adeniyi Akintola SAN who was represented among other prominent stakeholders in the state.
They specifically alleged that a serving senator and a former governor are responsible for the falsification of the delegates’ list.
Speaking on behalf of other stakeholders, Sen. Adeseun alleged that some dubious people have inserted fake delegates into the list brought from Abuja, calling on the National secretariat to produce a transparent unadulterated delegates ‘ list for the congress.
“Some dubious people have inserted fake delegates into the list brought from Abuja.
“Normally, when you have written an examination, you need to get results to know if you pass or fail . We did the first congress, we did not get its result. We held the second one, no result. They kept them all. They brought them altogether to us yesterday (Friday) for us to hold the State Congress. When we got the delegates’ list, we observed the list they brought it is fake and falsified. False names are in the list. When we held previous congresses, everyone of us mobilized people for them. When there is competition, each will bring out his or her people to test strength. But when the delegates list came out yesterday (Friday), those who have no supporters or followers are there. But those who have followers, their names are not there. They now say we should use the list for the state congress. This is not possible. In this state congress, we have agreed to go for consensus, but some elements in the party, have falsified the delegates ‘ list, they are now saying they don’t want consensus anymore”, Adeseun said.
“There is no way we will use falsified delegates’ list for the state congress. If they use the falsified delegates’ list to hijack party structure, can they use the same approach to win in the general elections?”, he questioned.
The APC stakeholders, who noted that those who have attained such high positions should be trustworthy and reliable, however, expressed disappointment that they are the ones behind the falsified, adulterated and fake delegates’ list, insisting that “party members and leaders in Oyo State are vehemently kicking against using such delegates’ list to conduct the state congress”.
“We are using this medium to appeal to the national leadership of our party, the suffering in Oyo State is too much. We don’t want to suffer again. The only way the suffering will not continue is to allow our party to conduct election and win. Our party was in government for eight years and brought unprecedented developments to the state. But with this step they are taking, they are working towards the defeat of the party”, Adeseun said.
The former senator recalled, “In 2018, there was crisis in our party, and it was polarised. That polarization led to the victory of the ruling party in Oyo State. Residents of the state are not happy with the current government.
“We now came together and decided to elect our party officers transparently but the former governor and the serving senator don’t want it that way.
“They should bring out the authentic list of ward and local government congresses. They should bring them out. If they do, we are ready for the congress. We cannot hold congress with falsified delegates’ list”, the leaders insisted.
The Oyo APC leaders, therefore called on the national leaders of the party to investigate and punish those responsible for the false list appropriately.
“The fact that in the past we never allowed people to be disciplined is the reasons we have this challenge.
“Progressives don’t behave that way. These hardcore ultra-conservatives have infiltrated our group and they are bringing their culture of hijacking into our party. We don’t want that. If you cannot conform with decency, they should go back to where they came from”.
”Two, on the individual involved, these are the people you all know. That is their stock-in-trade. That is their style of politics.
“We were all prepared for the state congress until yesterday morning (Friday) where the panel from Abuja came. We have been clamouring for the release of delegates’ list. In fact, many of us went to Abuja last week on this same issue to say you cannot have a congress where we don’t have delegates’ list. They promised to do something about it. And now the list came yesterday (Friday) and when opened it is just contraband.
“We are very confident that the top leadership of the party is probably not aware of what some people did around offices. So, when we put this one out and let the world see, we are confident that they would correct the anomaly.
“The state chairman of the party, issued a release yesterday (Friday). He is the custodian of the original. He knew what went to Abuja. He compared the copy he sent to Abuja with what came yesterday (Friday), shockingly, the list was falsified. We should suspend anything about the congress for now until we resolve that problem. So, if some people gather somewhere, they are just organizing a birthday party. If it is something that has to do with this party, unless we see a good, transparent, verified and verifiable list of delegates, there will be no congress”, they 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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