2026: Two Weeks After, APC Mum Over Omisore, Oyetola’s Abuja Peace Meeting

• As Akande, Minister, Ex-Deputy Governor’s Interest May Clash On N’Assembly Tickets
• Stakeholders Kick, Allege Party Leaders Planning To Foist Placeholder Arrangement

The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has remained silent two weeks after a peace meeting brokered by the party’s pioneer National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, to resolve the lingering rift between former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola.

Party sources said the meeting, held in Abuja on April 19, followed an earlier meeting between Omisore and leaders of the Osun APC Elders Council in Ile-Ife, where certain demands were reportedly presented to the party by the former senator.

The meeting was convened to address the deepening feud that followed the primary election, which produced Mr. Bola Oyebamiji as the party’s governorship candidate after the screening committee disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants.

Omisore had described the disqualification as the “biggest joke of the year” and a “politically motivated move,” alleging “intense pressure from powerful interests” to sideline leading aspirants for a preferred candidate.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that Omisore also dragged the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission before an Osogbo Federal High Court over the APC governorship primary in Osun State.

According to court documents, Omisore in suit no FHC/OS/CS/261/2025, asked the court to determine whether the APC, as the 1st defendant, has the power to impose nomination qualification, or disqualification criteria, measures, or conditions on any aspirant for its primary election in its constitution, guidelines, or rules for the nomination of candidates.

The former deputy governor, however, discontinued the suit following interventions by prominent party leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, according to the Director-General of the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Ajibola Famurewa.

OSUN DEFENDER also observed that Omisore has not been physically present at party events since his disqualification, with people from his camp noting that the Ile-Ife-born politician is yet to disclose his political direction.

Following the Abuja meeting, the former deputy governor’s campaign organisation said current efforts to facilitate a reconciliation meeting between the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and Omisore have been allowed to drag on for too long.

The spokesperson of the Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation, Jamiu Olawumi, while speaking with a journalist, said, “We are aware there was going to be a meeting, and as a campaign organisation within the party and an organisation peopled by patriotic party members, we identify with our principal, Senator Iyiola Omisore, and we also trust the national leader of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, for his effort to bring about peace and tranquillity that will move the party forward.

“We have not been briefed by our principal, but for the optics, when we saw the three of them together, we must be happy that there will be peace, even though the current effort is too belated. It has been allowed to drag.”

He added, “For five months, we were surprised that the leadership of the party and all the parties concerned would allow the misunderstanding to fester for five months in an election year. We thank Baba Akande for his resilience and commitment to bringing peace to the party.”

Sources said the APC remained silent on the outcome of the meeting because the party leaders were unable to resolve their differences, noting that the situation might worsen after the primary election for the 2027 general elections.

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A source, who does not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the National and State Assembly tickets might further deepen the fractured relationship between the former deputy governor and the Minister.

The source noted that Omisore has positioned some of his loyalists to secure the assembly tickets, while the Minister may prefer other aspirants.

“I can tell you that the primary election for the 2027 general elections might make or break the party. There is a lot of internal rumbling due to what we are hearing about who will get what. Omisore’s camp is ready to field aspirants and they want the party to compensate the former deputy governor, but it seems the Minister is not in tune with that and he has his own people,” the source noted.

• Akande, Oyetola, Omisore’s Interests May Clash Over Senatorial Tickets

Meanwhile, OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that the interest of the party’s national leader, Chief Akande, may clash with that of the Marine Minister on the candidate to represent Osun Central at the Red Chamber.

The same scenario might play out for the Osun East Senatorial District, where Omisore is said to be backing an aspirant against the choice of the Minister.

According to sources, the Minister’s preferred candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District is Mr. Kunle Adegoke (SAN), while Baba Akande is reportedly backing the current lawmaker representing the district, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, who hails from Ila Orangun.

Party sources said Oyetola wants to compensate Adegoke, who was one of those disqualified from the governorship race, with the ticket, a situation that might not sit well with the national leader of the party.

However, the entry of the Minister’s son, Femi Oyetola, into the Osun Central Senatorial District race might change the dynamics of things.

Femi Oyetola was on Sunday presented the nomination and expression of interest forms for Osun Central Senatorial District by committee of friends.

Reacting to the news, a chieftain of the party in Osun Central who preferred anonymity, said the Minister’s son will likely not get the ticket.

The APC chieftain noted that development may further cause division within the party.

“I heard the news this afternoon and I was amused. I don’t think it will work especially in Osun Central. Oyetola cannot singlehandedly give his son a senatorial ticket. He might only be informed about it and I feel the move is to launch the young man into Osun politics,” the APC chieftain noted.

A party source said, “It is true that our principal, Mr. Oyetola, is looking at Adegoke’s direction. He sees Adegoke as someone who can win the district and he also feels it would compensate for his efforts in growing the party.

“However, the issue is that Baba Akande is reportedly backing Ajagunla, who is from the same town as him. Baba wants the lawmaker to return in order to complete the projects he has started.”

Also, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the Minister might be backing the current Senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, to return to the National Assembly.

However, Omisore’s camp is said to be ready to fight it out, as the Director-General of the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Ajibola Famurewa, has already obtained his nomination and expression of interest form for Osun East Senatorial District.

Fadahunsi, who defected to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2025, has also obtained his form and reportedly has the backing of the IleriOluwa camp of the APC.

• APC Leaders Planning To Foist Placeholder Arrangement

Beyond Osun East and Central Senatorial Districts, the internal crisis which may soon engulf the party has also found its way to the federal constituency level, with many stakeholders alleging the Minister who is also the leader of the party in the state of moves to singlehandedly handpick all candidates for the forthcoming general elections.

A source who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on Saturday noted that the move, which is fast gaining traction among stakeholders, may come through a ‘placeholder’ arrangement reportedly planned by the Minister.

According to the source, Oyetola being mindful of the crisis that may stem from the primaries is considering picking some candidates as ‘placeholders,’ with a motive to select the final candidates after the August 15 governorship election.

“The party may soon go into a more serious crisis. Beyond the Omisore/Akande fiasco, more issues are still coming up. We are hearing our apex leader (Oyetola) wants to foist his preferred aspirants on the party as candidates.

“In fact, his initial plan was to ensure that no aspirant could purchase nomination forms from the National Secretariat. Unable to achieve this, he then settled to ensure that most of his candidates emerge for every elective position. But he is going to be resisted, as many members, leaders and stakeholders want aspirants to go for the primaries,” the source noted.

Also, a group Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin (IBO) Federal Constituency Youths Vanguard has urged leaders of the party in the area to uphold fairness and equity in the selection of the party’s House of Representatives candidate for the 2027 general elections.

In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Adebayo Asimiyu, and Secretary, Tijani Morufu, the group called on party leaders and elders within the constituency to adopt a transparent and inclusive process that reflects the collective will of party members, particularly the younger generation.

According to the group, the moment demands a shift towards youth inclusion, noting that the constituency deserves a candidate with proven capacity, grassroots appeal, and a clear commitment to representing the interests of young people at the National Assembly.

“We are at a crossroads where the old ways of political imposition can no longer sustain us. The APC must embrace a candidate who is not only young but also possesses a strengthened will to be the authentic voice of the youth at the National Assembly. We need a representative who breathes the same air as the people, not one who is distant from our daily struggles.

“Leadership is about foresight. We have seen the likes of the PDP select individuals like Adewale Egbedun from Odo-Otin, who rose to become the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. This was possible because they dared to trust the youth. If the APC fails to provide a similar platform for its vibrant young members, it risks becoming a relic of the past.

“We are aware of the clandestine moves by certain party elders to influence the selection process through a placeholder arrangement. We wish to state categorically that such an arrangement will not work. It is an insult to the intelligence of the electorate and a recipe for internal crisis. We demand a candidate who stands on their own merit, not a shadow for someone else’s interests.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the APC on the matter proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.0