A brewing storm within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State reached a fever pitch today as the Equity and Justice Group of Oyo declared that the “enforced” chairmanship of Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo would not derail the Oke-Ogun zone’s quest for the 1 Agodi House seat in 2027.
In a strongly worded petition addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and party elder Chief Bisi Akande, the group alleged a high-level conspiracy to “sacrifice” the gubernatorial aspirations of the Oke-Ogun people on the altar of internal party politics.
The “Zoning Trap” Allegation
The crux of the group’s grievance lies in the selection of Otunba Adeyemo, a former Deputy Governor from Oke-Ogun, as the new State Chairman. While such an appointment would typically be celebrated, the Equity Group views it as a “Greek gift” designed to ensure the 2027 governorship ticket remains in Ibadan.
”We told the party leadership clearly: Oke-Ogun will not accept the Chairmanship if it means losing the Governorship,” the group stated. “They have ignored us to test our resolve. We are here to tell them that the resolve of Oke-Ogun is unbreakable.”
The group argues that by handing the party chairmanship to Oke-Ogun, “entrenched interests” within the party are plotting to ensure the gubernatorial ticket returns to Ibadan. The petition identifies several high-profile aspirants from Oke-Ogun, including Barr. Abdulrahman Adebayo Shittu, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, Col. Gbenga Adegbola (RTD) ,Dr. Ayandoye and Dr. Gbadegesin, whose ambitions may now be at risk due to traditional zoning balances.
They contrasted this with the Ibadan zone, which already boasts a long list of contenders including Minister Bayo Adelabu, Senator Teslim Folarin, and Senator Sarafa Ali. The group argued that fairness dictated the chairmanship should have gone to the Ibarapa zone, which currently has no gubernatorial hopefuls for 2027.
The petition went further to name “arrowheads” of what they described as a dangerous scheme specifically pointing to influential presidential appointees and former lawmakers from Ogbomosho and Ibarapa East. These individuals, the group claims, are paving the way for a “Senator from Ibadan” to take the ticket with an “Ogbomosho Deputy.”
Warning of a repeat of the internal friction that cost the party the state in 2023 and the recent 2025 Ibadan North rerun, the group warned:
”The silence from Oyo is the silence of a graveyard. We will not hesitate to seek justice for Oke-Ogun in another political party if the APC continues this path of exclusion.”
Final Appeal
While maintaining their loyalty to President Tinubu’s second-term bid, the group urged the National Secretariat to intervene before the “impending implosion” becomes irreversible. They called for a total overhaul of the decision-making process to reflect true equity across the state’s five zones.