Osun APC stakeholders write Tinubu, blame Oyetola for governorship election loss

A faction of stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress in Osun State has attributed the party’s defeat in the August 15 governorship election to what it described as the “exclusion” of party elders.

The group also blamed the concentration of political appointments and electoral candidates around former Governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.

The stakeholders, operating under the Osun APC Stakeholders Forum, made the allegations in an open letter dated August 18, 2026, and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, calling for an immediate review of the party’s structure and candidate-selection process in the state.

The letter was signed by Professor Akin Adeyanju, Coordinator of the Osun APC Stakeholders Forum, and Hon. Sola Ajayi, Secretary.

According to the group, the party’s failure to win the election was largely the consequence of internal divisions allegedly created by the manner in which Oyetola handled political appointments and the selection of candidates for elective positions.

“We respectfully submit that the principal reason for our defeat was the conduct of the immediate past governor of the state and Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gbȯyega Oyetola,” the stakeholders said.

The forum said Oyetola “appointed cronies, allies and kinsmen to federal political positions and single-handedly selected all candidates for elective office in the state, disregarding the advice and counsel of party elders who urged him to carry other critical stakeholders along.”

The group argued that the alleged concentration of appointments and political opportunities around one faction alienated sections of the party and weakened the APC ahead of the election.

The stakeholders also accused the former governor of dominating the party’s candidate-selection process, listing the governorship and deputy governorship candidates, three senatorial candidates, nine House of Representatives candidates and 26 House of Assembly candidates among the positions they claimed were “single-handedly” nominated by Oyetola.

In the letter, the forum also presented a list of federal appointees it said were drawn largely from Oyetola’s hometown and political camp.

Those listed included Oyetola himself; Kabiyesi Abdulrasheed Olabomi, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Bola Oyebamiji, Managing Director of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority and the APC governorship candidate.

Benjamin Adetori, deputy governorship candidate; Dayo Babatanti, Executive Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation; Fatai Adeyemi, Executive Director, Operations, NIMASA; Adeniran Aderogba, CEO, Regional Maritime Development Bank; Lekan Badmus, Executive Director, Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority; and Charles Akindiji, Managing Director, South-West Development Commission.

Others mentioned included Ayo Omidiran, Chairman, Federal Character Commission; Nike Omoworare, Commissioner, South-West Development Commission and member of its Governing Council; Dayo Eluyemi, Federal Commissioner, Federal Character Commission; Segun Fanibe, member, Governing Council; Rotimi Makinde, Chairman, Governing Council; and Remi Omowaiye, Executive Director, Federal Housing Authority.

Kayode Sowade, Executive Director, OORBDA; Taiwo Olaleya, Chairman, Governing Council; Taofeek Adesede, Federal Commissioner, Nigerian Ports Commission; Oladele Gbȯyega, Federal Commissioner, RMFAC; Festus Olowobogega, Federal Commissioner, Civil Service Commission; Obawale Adebisi, Chairman, Governing Council; and Taiwo Oluga, Commissioner, NASC.

Bosun Oyintiloye, member, Governing Council; Sunday Akere, Osun Renewed Hope Ambassadors; as well as 31 LGA and 332 ward Renewed Hope Ambassadors.

The stakeholders said the alleged pattern of concentration had affected the party’s relationship with its grassroots members and other political blocs across the state.

“We believe this pattern of exclusion left the party’s base disengaged and cost us the support of critical stakeholders and communities across the state’s three senatorial districts, contributing directly to our defeat on August 15,” the group said.

Beyond blaming Oyetola for the electoral setback, the stakeholders asked Tinubu to intervene in the state chapter and initiate measures aimed at rebuilding the party ahead of future elections.

They urged the President to order an “immediate, independent review” of the Osun APC leadership structure and the process through which candidates were selected.

The group also called for a reconciliation meeting involving Oyetola, party elders and aggrieved stakeholders, to be supervised by the APC National Working Committee.

It further demanded greater balance in federal appointments from Osun State, arguing that government positions should reflect the wider membership of the party rather than a particular political camp.

The stakeholders equally called for a fact-finding committee to examine the conduct of the party’s governorship primary and concerns raised by party elders before the election.

As part of what it described as a roadmap for rebuilding the APC in Osun, the forum asked the National Working Committee to convene a state congress to produce what it called a genuinely representative executive structure.

It also proposed a stakeholders’ reconciliation summit involving factions, elders and interest groups, as well as a transparent framework for future candidate selection.

The forum said such a framework should be based on wider consultation rather than “the preference of any single leader.”