A faction within the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC), known as Concerned Leaders, has blamed the party’s recent by-election loss in Ibadan North Federal Constituency on candidate imposition and poor decision-making.
The group made this known through a press statement issued on Sunday in Ibadan and signed by its chairman, Tejumola Adisa.
According to the group, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu imposed an unpopular candidate, Mr. Olatunji, which many APC members strongly opposed.
Furthermore, the group emphasized that several qualified and well-supported aspirants purchased nomination forms but were ignored during selection.
As a result, the APC candidate faced rejection from voters, culminating in a total defeat across all twelve polling wards.
Adisa also alleged that Adelabu allocated three major federal appointments to members of Accord Party, not APC stakeholders.
Notably, Adelabu contested the 2023 governorship election under Accord Party before joining Tinubu’s cabinet as Minister of Power.
Due to this, the group believes that his appointment decisions have sidelined genuine APC loyalists and worsened internal party fractures.
“The Minister has severely damaged the Oyo APC, and if unchecked, he may cause further harm to Tinubu’s administration,” Adisa warned.
They insisted that the Minister’s actions had already tarnished APC’s reputation in the state and alienated core party supporters.
In addition, the statement noted that Adelabu’s “arrogance, poor human relations, and unfair distribution of political benefits” worsened the situation.
Highlighting the extent of the defeat, the group revealed that Olatunji was even defeated at his own polling unit.
He reportedly secured only six votes in the unit, underscoring widespread disapproval of his imposed candidacy among the electorate.
“Removing Adelabu is necessary to prevent future damage,” the group concluded, urging Tinubu to act before things deteriorate further.
