SOME former local government chairmen who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have adopted the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, as the sole candidate of the party for the 2026 governorship election.
The ex-chairmen who are members of Tobalase group, a caucus within the 2018-2021 local government council chairmen, also declared Oyetola as the leader of the APC in the state.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the former chairmen made the adoption at a meeting held on January 5, 2024 at a hotel in Osogbo.
However, the adoption has been generating crisis among the ex-chairmen who are also members of the Tobalase group, and others who didn’t belong to the group.
It was gathered that the council chairmen who adopted Oyetola as the governorship candidate of the APC, presented their action as a unanimous decision of the Tobalase group.
According to sources, the ex-council chairmen communicated their action to their colleagues on the ALGON 2018/2021 WhatsApp platform with a headline that reads: “Tobalase group in a special meeting unanimously adopted Dr. Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola as the APC sole candidate for 2026 governorship election.”
The message sparked reactions from other ex-council chairmen who expressed disappointment on the move taken by their colleagues on the adoption of the former governor.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the entire members of the Tobalase group had in a previous meeting held in December, 2023 concluded that the group should exercise caution on supporting any aspirant for the 2026 governorship election.
But some members of the group who are Oyetola’s loyalists, convened another meeting and allegedly excluded those perceived not on the same page with them on their agenda, according to sources.
It was learnt that of all the 43 members of the Tobalase group, only 24 were at the meeting where Oyetola was adopted.
This is just as six of the 24 attendees were reportedly said to have remained silent all through the meeting.
However, Mr. Francis Famurewa, a former Chairman of Atakunmosa West local government who protested the action of the Oyetola loyalists was removed from the Tobalase group immediately.
Also, former Chairmen of Ede South and Ife East local governments, Mr. Johnson Ojo and Mr. Olusegun Adeyeni, respectively flayed the Tobalase group on Oyetola’s adoption, describing the action as hasty and hypocritical, according to one of the former council chairmen.
It was also gathered that the former chairmen of Ayedire South Local Council Development Area and Obokun East Local Council Development Area, Mr. Femi Idowu and Isola Omole, expressed their dissatisfaction on the Tobalase’s adoption of Oyetola’s candidature without carrying everybody along.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, Famurewa said it is too early for any group to adopt somebody as a candidate of the party, saying what Osun APC needed is fostering unity and harmony among its members.
Famurewa stated that the meeting where the adoption was made was not properly called, noting that majority members of the Tobalase group were not in attendance.
He said: “The meeting was not properly called. A meeting that wanted to discuss a serious issue like the adoption of somebody as the sole candidate of the party for 2026 gubernatorial election needed to be properly called. Majority of the members should be carried along for that meeting. Since they decided to call emergency meeting which less than 24 hours notice was given; it means majority would not be able to attend.
“They took a photograph after their meeting and I counted 24 people in the picture; out of which six people were not known Tobalase members, leaving 18 members that are original Tobalase members, out of 43 of us. That is not up to 50 per cent. How can you now go on social media to announce that Tobalase has unanimously adopted Oyetola as the sole candidate of the party for 2026?
“After the meeting, they did not put the resolution on Tobalase Whatsapp group to get the input of other people. I would have responded to it there if that had happened, and some other people would have done same thing. But that did not happen.
“As a Senatorial Leader and party person, I believe the unity and harmony of the party is more important at this crucial time than for a group of people to say it adopted somebody as sole candidate in a party where there is crisis. We need to unify the party first.
“In my personal opinion, Oyetola contributed to the demise of APC in the state by placing IleriOluwa people above the party; they were discriminating and segregating. The segregation in the Oyetola administration has not been heard in the progressive fold. That does not mean Oyetola cannot come back as the candidate of the party, but that is not what we need as this time.
“We should rebuild the party first. What those people have done amounts to putting the cat before the horse. It is premature, too early to adopt anybody at this critical point. We need to build the party and unite the party members first; then we can talk about who is going to be the candidate of the party.
“I was removed from the Tobalase group after expressing my opinion. They said because I did not align with what they want, so I had to me removed. I am okay with that; I don’t have any animosity against anyone.”
Responding, one of the leaders of Tobalase group, Mr. Felix Aboge, said all members of the group were carried along and duly notified of the meeting.
Aboge, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, said those protesting against the action of the group were insincere and insignificant.
He said: “The Tobalase group actually adopted our leader, Oyetola as the sole candidate of APC for the 2026 governorship election. I need to emphasize that it s Tobalase group, not ALGON 2018/2021 members.
“We called a meeting and we issued notice of meeting for that purpose. Whoever received the notice of meeting was expected to be in attendance. And majority members of the group were in attendance and decision was taken.
“That is not the first time we would send out notice of meeting and people will attend. It was not a secret meeting. If the protesters want it again, it will be done again and again and it will produce the same result.
“Those who were at the meeting are not the likes you can coerce into any decision or action. They would not accept anything that didn’t go down with them. The Oyetola’s adoption was well debated and it came out to be so, and we all accepted it. All us who attended the meeting accepted the adoption.
“Only those who were not in attendance were protesting; and they were invited to the meeting. As of today, we have 42 members in the group and up to 30 of us were at the meeting. There is nowhere in the world where you would be protesting a decision taken at a meeting that you didn’t attend.
“The number of people protesting is so minutes; and it does not have effect on the decision of the group. They are highly insignificant.”
Ismaeel Uthman is an Editor, Media Consultant with over 14 years experience in print journalism.
A consummate writer and reporter, Uthman has received accolades for his works, especially one that appeals for good governance and community development. He is a recipient of many laurels, including the Best Investigative Reporter (Print) Award of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, in 2020.
