Osun APC Repositioning Committee Canvasses Scrapping of IleriOluwa Group, Submits Report to Oyetola

Members of the Repositioning Committee set up by Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, to review and resolve the issues that caused his woeful performance in all the recent elections held under his purview have submitted their report to the former governor on Friday.

The eleven-member Committee, chaired by the former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, a loyalist of Mr. Oyetola, faulted the attitude of political officeholders appointed by the former governor for hijacking the role of party executives and turning the party in the state to their private fiefdom. He also canvassed for the scrapping of all groups in the party.

Mr. Oyetola, recently appointed Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had set up the committee on Monday, May 1st, 2023 to reposition the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party sharply divided under his watch.

Part of the recommendation of the committee includes the collapse of all political interest groups set up for electioneering purposes.

OSUN DEFENDER recalls the genesis of the crisis in Osun APC which includes but is not limited to accusations by some members of exclusion in party affairs and governance over their refusal to swear and switch loyalty to the IleriOluwa group of the APC, and victimisation for failure to denounce and abuse a former governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, amongst others.

The Adewole committee recommended amongst others, “collapsing political interest groups after elections; funding of electioneering campaigns and logistics through the prompt release of funds, creation of strategic and special directorates such as organisation, publicity, women, youths, welfare, civil societies, trade unions and students union governments and the resolution of all murder cases.”

“We recommend for immediate implementation of the need to strengthen the party structures in line with the constitution of the party and under no circumstances should political office holders of the party be allowed to lord themselves over members of the party in their wards or takeover the duties of the structures of the party before, during and after every election at ward level.” The committee stated in a report widely circulated on social media by members of the party loyal to Mr. Oyetola on Friday.

On curbing internal disputes still raging in the party, the committee recommended that members of the party who engaged in anti-party activities during 2022 and 2023 elections should be made to face disciplinary actions in accordance with the relevant provisions of the party constitution.

On paving a smooth way for crisis-free primary elections, the committee stated that “the party should encourage aspirants to run issue-based campaigns and while choosing candidates for future elections, article 20 of the constitution of the party should be adhered to, and the mode of primary elections whether direct or indirect should not be adopted just to favour a particular candidate”.

You will recall many members of the party were disappointed over the manner in which the Ilerioluwa-led APC treated them during the primaries for the 2023 general elections. Many who won their primary elections were not returned as validly elected candidates of the party.

In the Ife Federal Constituency of Osun State, some House of Representatives aspirants condemned the party’s primary election exercise that took place on Friday, May 27th, 2022. The aggrieved aspirants described the process as a “scam,” alleging that figures were arbitrarily awarded by the then Deputy Chairman of the party, Hon Tajudeen Lawal, who now serves as party chairman, and then chairman of Ife East Local Council, Hon Akinwale, to candidates as they saw fit.

In a petition addressed to the Chairman of the Osun APC House of Representatives Appeal Committee, they asserted that the exercise was neither free nor fair and should be set aside. Similar concerns were raised regarding the primary election of the state assembly conducted earlier, with no official results ever announced.

The Adewole committee also crowned the Minister as the leader of the party in the state.

“Mr Adegboyega Oyetola should remain the leader of the party. Preparation for the 2026 election should begin in earnest; there must be good management of critical information in the media,” the release seen by Osun Defender reveals.

In his short remarks, Oyetola commended the Chairman and members of the Committee for their sacrifice to get the party repositioned saying no stone would be left unturned in building a virile and formidable party under his watch.

Oyetola disclosed that an implementation committee would be set up to look into the recommendations for appropriate implementation.

He said the party would continue to harness its resources to take care of the interest of the youth, women, and the generality of the party members saying “we shall empower them to find useful expressions for their innate talents, skills, and competencies so that they can contribute their quota to the development of the party, the State and Nigeria at large.”