Osun APC: Softly, Softly

Niyi Akinnaso (Published By The Nation Newspaper) June 21, 2023

This is not the time for reckoning of the fortunes and misfortunes of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State. Nevertheless, any intervention in the politics of the state must acknowledge the successive losses of four major elections in the state in the last rounds of elections: the governorship election; the presidential election; the National Assembly election; and the state’s House of Assembly election. It is no exaggeration to assert that APC was wiped out completely.

The situation calls for sober reflection, rather than grandstanding or divisive rhetoric. As I will point out in the near future, it is myopic to conclude that the losses were due to factionalism alone. True, the recalcitrancy of the two principals in the conflict fuelled the split of party members. However, even more important factors contributed to the losses. Of course, the Peoples Democratic Party took advantage of the factionalism within the APC to enhance their chances in other areas.

I was charged with the conduct of the opinion poll for the state. It was clear from the poll that care must be taken to avoid defeat. I explained the details of the areas in which the PDP had competitive advantage to the Governor. However, he chose to ignore the poll for reasons I will explain later.

It is against these backgrounds that I comment briefly on recent political developments in the state. The first was the party restructuring committee set up by Governor Gboyega Oyetota before the Tribunal judgements were exhausted. It was headed by Professor Isaac Adewole, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and former Minister of Health. Not a few observers thought at the time that the committee was hastily set up to preempt the eventual return to Osun by former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, after the expiration of his ministerial term in Abuja on May 29, 2023.

True to form, Aregbesola did show up in Osogbo and Ilesa about a week or so ago. He visited traditional rulers in both towns and addressed a large gathering of supporters, typified by artisans and market women. His apology was couched to appeal to this group of supporters, who are likely to conclude: “O ti bebe. Aforiji lo ku”.

However, it was igbimo agba, led by Chief Sola Akinwumi that responded. In the eyes of the elders, Aregbesola still was not contrite enough. Some even thought he took back as much apology as he gave. In their own judgement, he should formally apologise for his “misdeeds” before he could be re-admitted to the party. The question is: Where did he go?

While holding judgement on the position of the elders regarding Aregbesola, the Chairman of the party, Tajudeen Lawal, was firm about sanctioning those engaged in anti-party activities. In a statement that lacks institutional memory, the Chairman said: “Meanwhile, we must be clear about this, we are not restructuring the party. The party is intact in Osun under Baba Bisi Akande and Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.” Yet, “restructuring” is one of the tasks before the Adewole committee. Elsewhere, the Chairman made it clear that he was focused on those who served in the administration of Governor Oyetola.

Be that as it may, a party which lost four critical elections in a row in one electoral cycle cannot afford to take the high road in reforming the party. Rather, it must work toward inclusiveness. That’s why the idea of sanctions should not be the starting point of negotiations.

Perhaps a lesson for the party Chairman is in order here. Governor Oyetola reached out to the former SSG, Moshood Adeoti, who defected to the ADP in the 2018 governorship election and nearly cost Oyetola the election. He did not make any noise about it. Unfortunately, however, negotiations fell through, when the Governor refused to welcome Adeoti and his supporters to the APC with the customary welcome back jamboree. The rest is history.

The truth is that if the APC in Osun must make progress, the dividing line between Ileri and Oranmiyan must be blurred. Besides, there is no way progress could be made if the two leaders of these factions do not talk to each other and to their supporters. This must be the focus of party leaders in Osun. It is not going to be easy. But it must be done.