The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State is once again being drawn into a familiar cycle of internal controversy, as allegations emerge of what is best described as an odious conspiracy aimed at manipulating the party’s future leadership direction ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
At the centre of the controversy are claims that certain influential figures within the party are attempting to foist Sen. Sarafadeen Alli on the party as its predetermined gubernatorial candidate. The alleged move, according to an insider source, is being driven through a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation designed to create the impression that the senator has already secured the backing of powerful institutions and personalities.
Stakeholders within the party have pointed fingers at Zacheous Adelabu and Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, accusing them of spearheading what they describe as an odious attempt to impose a candidate on the party structure long before a credible and transparent process can take place.
Central to the controversy is the circulation of claims that Sen. Sarafadeen Alli has already been “anointed” by the Presidential Villa and endorsed by the revered traditional institution in Ibadan. Party insiders, however, say the narrative is being deliberately amplified to create a false sense of inevitability around the senator’s candidacy.
Part of the narrative being pushed suggests that Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the respected traditional ruler and Olubadan of Ibadanland, has thrown his weight behind the senator’s ambition. Many party faithful view this claim as both misleading and dangerous, warning that dragging respected institutions into partisan calculations only deepens divisions within the party.
The controversy is unfolding against the backdrop of lingering bitterness from the 2023 governorship election, where internal disagreements, exclusionary tactics, and power struggles severely weakened the party’s chances at the polls. Many loyal members still believe that the defeat suffered during that election was largely self-inflicted.
For them, the emerging situation is alarmingly similar to the political mistakes that pushed the party out of government in the first place.
Repeating such internal manipulation could once again destabilise the party and undermine the rebuilding efforts currently being championed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC and as such, the party at the state level cannot afford to walk the same road that led to its political setback in 2023.
Attempting to impose a candidate through an odious conspiracy of influence, propaganda, and manufactured endorsements will only deepen mistrust within the party and fracture the fragile unity required to return the APC to power in the state.
Grassroots members, who form the backbone of the party structure, are the ones bearing the real consequences of past miscalculations. Many of them have spent the last six years defending the party in difficult political conditions while waiting for internal reforms that would guarantee fairness and inclusiveness in future processes.
The prospect of another manipulated political arrangement is deeply troubling, and if the APC in Oyo fails to conduct its internal affairs differently this time, the consequences could extend far beyond the next election cycle. Remaining outside government for another eight years would not only weaken the party’s structure but also diminish the morale of its loyal supporters.
The APC in Oyo must do things right and do them differently. Decisions must reflect the collective interest of the party and its members, not the ambitions of a few individuals attempting to shape outcomes behind closed doors.
