Politics
Oyo: Crossfire as Adeduntan, Adelabu groups spit fire over 2019 APC loss to PDP
A political group, the Adelabu Solidarity Group (ASG) has fired back at Dr Azeez Adeduntan, the immediate past Commissioner for Health in Oyo state, following a recent statement credited to him, calling the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 9 election, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, a wrong Candidate.
The group, loyal to Adelabu has described the statement credited to Dr. Adeduntan as senseless and not expected from any reasonable person who had benefited from the party when APC was in control of the state.
Contained in a statement signed by Comrade Femi Awogboro on behalf of the group, he said Oloye Adelabu will not like to join issues with a political jobber like the former Commissioner for Health, saying it is pertinent for Adelabu Solidarity Group to respond to some of the remarks attributed to Dr. Adeduntan.
“If not for people like Dr Azeez Adeduntan who worked against the APC at the 2019 poll ,despite the hands of love extended to him and Some betrayers by Bayo Adelabu ,the party won’t have temporarily lost the seat of power in Oyo state.
“The former commissioner was quoted as saying, he facilitated one billion naira for Adeoyo Ring Road Hospital out of fifty billion naira which was expected and the self styled “World class Surgeon” bragged with impunity
“Oloye Adelabu who is a silent philanthropist that has contributed a lot to the pace setter state .The Technical University Ibadan, Oyo state ,Security Trust Fund, numerous scholarship awards among countless among others are what chief Adelabu has been shouldering without making needless noise”, the statement added.
Comrade Awogboro who is the Publicity Secretary of APC in Ibadan South East, also urged Dr Adeduntan to be mindful of his utterances in the public , especially on issues relating to the party and should apologise immediately for his misguided and malicious invectives against the respected Chief .
“What ought to be paramount in the mind of any committed member now is to work harmoniously through prayers and commitment to the party towards ensuring the victory of APC at the Appeal court, not making unnecessary and baseless remarks about the party and its leadership”.
Awogboro asked Dr Adeduntan to learn about APC’s ideology and stop tarnishing the image of the party and its real stalwarts, saying “his type of attitude and arrogance displayed by him (Dr Adeduntan) necessitated the then Labour Party to substitute his name prior to the 2011 Governorship elections”.
But, the Adeduntan Support Group (ASG) in a statement issued in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on Monday described former Deputy Governor of Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) and the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebayo Adelabu as a toddler who needs to enroll at the school of Oyo politics for him to excel in his future political endeavour.
The ASG in its reaction to a statement credited to Abiodun Awogboro of Adelabu Solidarity Group also said “the woeful outing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State during the 2019 general elections was due to the inability to unite and work with his major opponents who jostled with him for the party’s governorship ticket.”
“Adebayo Adelabu, the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
in the Oyo State governorship election started carrying himself like a governor-in-waiting from the moment he was imposed by Ajimobi as the governorship candidate at a kangaroo primary organized by Ajimobi on September 30th 2018
“Adelabu even after he lost the election passed several insults on the leaders of the party, blaming them for his loss in the election, and how he was involved in fisticuffs with an aide of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, his main allies who is also a Personal Assistant to the former governor at the Governor’s Oluyole residence.”
The group further advised Adelabu to place his failed ambition in the right perspective, saying the real reason for his thrashing is his aloofness to the party, it’s leaders, co- contestants, and his arrogance.
“On some of the issues raised by Awogboro in his statement, the group disclosed that one of the factors that caused the defeat of APC in the election was also some of the people used during the campaign who have no wherewithal to lead such sensitive and serious business just like Awogboro.
“Awogboro according to our findings is from Ekiti State, as a matter of fact chairman, of recently dissolved Yoruba Youth Council, Ekiti State chapter. In the past eight years with no serious means of survival except politics. He was formerly with Chief Femi Olaore, also a senatorial aspirant of APC and left when the latter can no longer trust him.”
“The said Awogboro who cannot be described as a professional journalist despite his Diploma certificate in Journalism from Institute of Journalism, Iyaganku, Ibadan due to his inability to be engaged by any media outfit can not be taken serious for whatever reason and his not qualified at all in any issues especially politics in Oyo state”.
The statement, however cautioned Adelabu and his team to engage only professionals in the pursuit of his political career and always warn his sympathisers in getting their facts right to avoid been sued in the court of law for libellous statements.
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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