Can APC achieve total reconciliation before gov poll?

Since the start of June, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has been roiled by the mass defection of top party members. But the APC maintains that the party remains the most formidable political force in the state. PHILIP IBITOYE engaged a cross-section of defectors and party leadership on which direction the August 15 governorship election is headed.

I left APC because aspirants were denied a level playing field during primaries — Bamisayemi, ex-Osun commissioner

Folorunso Oladoyin Bamisayemi is a two-term member of the Osun State House of Assembly, representing Ife South State Constituency between 2011 and 2019. He also served as Commissioner for Education under the administration of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.

YOUR resignation from the APC came as a surprise to many given that you served at the high table of the progressive family as the Commissioner for Education under the Oyetola administration. Since you were a key insider in that government, what changed fundamentally between that era of shared governance and the current direction of the party structure that made staying untenable for you?

I think, basically, for me, it was the way Otunba Iyiola Omisore was denied a level playing field to contest in this 2026 gubernatorial election. Some of us looked at the situation of APC in Osun State, and we considered the fact that Adeleke had already defeated us three times before now, and the fact that we need a formidable candidate to be able to confront Adeleke this time around. And that was why we decided to support Iyiola Omisore, with his clout and network of friends all over Nigeria. We believed that we would have a very good chance of reclaiming Osun State if we fielded distinguished Senator Iyiola Omisore. But, lo and behold, the party did not allow for a level playing field. They were ignominiously disqualified, and assessing the situation and looking at the future of the party and the current state of the party in Osun State, personally, I felt it was a hopeless situation continuing in the party. If Omisore can be treated the way he was treated, then the fate that awaits some of us in the party will be worse than that. So, that was one of the reasons why I left.

Then the second reason is that we all underrated Adeleke and, lo and behold, he surprised everybody with an outstanding performance. So, the whole idea for me was to retire completely from politics because I got completely fed up, and I then looked at the performance of Governor Ademola Adeleke, and I came to the conclusion that it would not be a bad idea if I supported this man to continue with the good work that he is doing, particularly what he has done in the major cities across Osun State. Look at what he is doing in Ife; look at the road, the dual carriageway, the flyover. Look at what he has done in Ilesa, look at the dual carriageway from the palace to the express in front of the gate. Look at what he has done at Ila Orangun, the dual carriageway entering Ila. Look at what he has done at Iwo; he has completely changed the face of Iwo, he has given Iwo a new facelift. You won’t recognise Iwo if you get there today. Look at what he has done in Osogbo, the state capital, with the two major flyovers and several roads that he has constructed. And again, look at the human capital, the welfare of the workers, how he completely offset the debts that we left behind—the almost 32 months’ half-salary arrears, and gratuities and pensions of retired civil servants. So, with this assessment, I felt the best thing to do is not to retire now prematurely, but to support this man to get a second term, so that he will continue the good work that he has done. So, those are the two major reasons why I decided: the way Moshood was treated, the lack of a level playing field, and then what APC has become.

So, last but not least is what happened in my senatorial district. It was an unprecedented move. How can you trade off a whole senatorial district? The leadership of the party decided to give Osun East Senatorial and all three House of Representatives seats in the entire district to strange bedfellows, newcomers, people that are coming from another party. So, you are implicitly saying that the people there before are worthless. Because if you have valuable people, you will not give out everything. How can you trade off a whole senatorial district? It then means that those of us that were in that particular senatorial district before now are valueless and worthless, that you have now just received people that you think you can present as the face of your party in that senatorial district. The senatorial seat was given out to a newcomer, the three House of Representatives seats were given out to new decampees. So, the foundational members that have stayed through thick and thin with the party over the years are suddenly not worthy of anything.

So, when that happened, I was forced to assess myself, assess my future in the party, and I came to the conclusion that I have only two options left: either to retire quietly to my farm and face my legal practice, or, if I want to continue in politics, support Adeleke to continue the good work that he is currently doing in Osun. That’s why I decided to leave the APC to join the Accord.

You’ve also mentioned Senator Omisore a lot, but he has stayed in the APC. So, how do you respond to the claim that this exit is a coordinated stance by the Omisore political structure?

Now, on the issue of Omisore staying behind, most of us that supported Senator Iyiola Omisore are either ex-this, ex-that, so we can decide what to do with our future without actually waiting for Omisore to give us directives. For instance, I just told you why I left, and the same thing applies to others. They assessed their future, and they decided that it is no longer worth staying in the APC. They decided their future, and they came to the conclusion that the next thing to do is to move. Yes, regardless of whether we supported Omisore or not, or whether Omisore is moving or not, Omisore has been in politics for more than 40 years. He will do what is in his own interest. We also will do what is in the interest of our future in politics. So, we decided to leave, knowing fully well that, for us, we don’t think APC is the way forward. So, it’s up to Omisore to determine whether he wants to stay behind or he wants to move, and he decided to stay behind. So, we wish him the best of luck. But for us, we just felt what happened to him is a lesson for the rest of us, that we need to draw a useful lesson from that experience. We must not wait until it happens to us. The Yoruba will say you learn from what happened to others: ọrọ ọlọrọ la fi n kọgbọn. You learn from what happened to others. If you wait for it to happen to you, then, in Yoruba parlance, you are a fool. You learn from what happened to others; you don’t wait until it happens to you.

The APC leadership in Osun has downplayed recent high-profile exits like yours, describing them as a ‘piecemeal resignation style’ intended to create a false impression of an implosion. What do you think your bloc’s withdrawal from the APC means for the party’s chances in the upcoming governorship election?

Well, they will tell you that we do not matter, that we are paperweights, we are this, we are that. That’s what politicians will say. But look at it this way: Adeleke won without us three times. In 2017, he ran for the Osun West senatorial election, he won 9 out of 10 local governments. In 2018, he led us by 352 until that inconclusive election. In 2022, he defeated us by 28,000 votes. Now, even if it is just 1,000 votes that we can add to him, it is a bonus. Without our bloc, Adeleke will still win based on what he has done. And I must confess something to you today, even if the party had fielded Omisore, we would have struggled to defeat Adeleke, based on his performance and the love the people have for him. Everywhere you go, everybody loves Adeleke, because he ran a government with a human face, or he is still running a government with a human face. So, when you hold power as a trustee, when you listen to the people before you do anything, they will love you. But when you hold power as a guardian, which was what APC was doing, you dictate to the people what they want, you don’t listen to their requests, you dictate to them, they will hate you. And that’s why there’s so much hostility towards APC in Osun today. Because APC administered power as a guardian. We think the people don’t know what they want, we are the ones that should dictate to them; this is what you need, this is what you want. Unlike us, Adeleke has held power and is still holding power as a trustee. He listens to every area, every community, asks them what they want, and he will do it for them. The people don’t like to be told what they want, that this is what they like. They don’t like to be treated as kids. So, you see, the difference between APC and Adeleke is that clear.

We spoke to someone who also defected from the APC like you and he talked about how former Governor Oyetola has held an iron grip on the party and is running a one-man show. Would you characterise his leadership of the party the same way?

I have huge respect for Governor Oyetola. A very pleasant man, no doubt. But I disagree with his politics, his style. So, to me, I think leadership should be a two-way thing. I mean loyalty should be a two-way thing, not just leadership. You are loyal to the leadership and the leadership should be loyal to you. A leadership that is loyal to the followers will not trade away a whole senatorial district to newcomers regardless of the feelings of foundational members. Do you understand what I mean now? I disagree with his politics and that’s one of the reasons why I left. If my leader will trade away a whole senatorial district and hand it over to newcomers, and tell foundational members who have been loyal for years to go to hell, then I think the situation speaks for itself. So, you can then characterise his leadership based on that. And when you put it side by side with the fact that it was only the senatorial district in his local government that a newcomer requested, and he refused to grant it. Ajagunla (Olubiyi Fadeyi) in Osun Central, a serving senator, defected to the APC and pleaded to be given the senatorial ticket for that senatorial district where our leader comes from. Of course, Governor Oyetola refused to give him the ticket. Only his senatorial district; no other person was asking for the three remaining House of Representatives seats. Now, if it was difficult for him to hand over the senatorial ticket for Osun Central, why was it easy to hand over the senatorial ticket and all three House of Representatives seats in Osun East to newcomers and decampees, regardless of the feelings of foundational members? So, that’s why I said I disagree with his politics. I have huge respect for him. He’s a very pleasant, very good man. But unfortunately, I find it very difficult to agree with his politics.

You are currently with the governor. In the first governorship election against former Governor Oyetola, there was the claim that the so-called federal might was used against Governor Adeleke. Now, with President Tinubu, who is known as the master strategist in Abuja, do you worry that this federal might would be deployed against the governor to prevent him from achieving victory in August?

The Yorubas will say don’t die before death comes. The Englishman will say a coward dies many times before his actual death. Is that not the cliché? So, we don’t want to die many times before our real death. Let’s let that day come. On August 15, we will go out there to vote. Federal might will not force us to thumbprint a party that we don’t want to thumbprint for. Will they force us? So, it is our job to assure our people that their vote will count. Our job is to give the masses the confidence to go out there and vote. No, we shouldn’t start thinking about federal might or no federal might. We believe that we will vote and that our vote will count. I believe that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a democrat; he will not want to soil his good name. He will not want to destroy the reputation he has built over the years with just one election, knowing fully well that this election is just three or four months before the presidential election. So, I sincerely believe that we will vote and our vote will count. And the most popular candidate will emerge the winner, and I believe Governor Adeleke is the most popular in this election. Like they say in MTN, it’s everywhere you go. Go to any nook and cranny of Osun State, Adeleke is very popular. The people are eager to vote for him, they cannot wait for August 15 to come. So, sincerely, I believe Governor Adeleke will win by a wide margin, regardless of any federal threat or might or whatever you call it.

Lastly, the former deputy governor, Iyiola Moshood, is also from Osun East, and he also has a deep structure in the district. With him still supporting the APC, what do you think of Governor Adeleke’s chances there?

What structure are you talking about? We are the Omisore structure, we are already with Adeleke. So, Omisore is left alone with them, they can do whatever they like with him. My brother, I’m the head of the Omisore structure in this area, and we are fully with Adeleke, I can assure you of that.

Oyetola turned APC into a garrison, everything is about him — Jamiu Olawumi

Jamiu Olawumi is a former Special Adviser to former Governor Gboyega Oyetola on Higher Education. He also served as spokesperson for the Omisore Campaign Organisation.

You were a Special Adviser under former Governor Oyetola? So, what are the internal factors responsible for you eventually leaving the party, even though you were so close to the leadership of the party?

Like you said, I believed all along that I was very close to the leadership of the party, not knowing that my opinion would not count. The main issue was people whom we accused of masterminding the assassination of our members in Ijesha Land. And the leader of the party, Governor Oyetola, was also very active in trying to seek justice for those who had fallen. And all of a sudden, you see those people coming back into our party, and they handed the leadership of the party into their hands. People who were responsible for the killings in 2022 came, and the party’s affairs and activities were handed over to them.

Whose those people you say were responsible for the alleged killings?

Well, they are there. To the extent that you cannot say this is the person you are dealing with within the party concerning individual interest. And politics is about interests. It is free exit and free entry. So, coupled with the crisis of the disqualification of seven out of nine aspirants, I just discovered that it would not be the right party where egalitarianism would be the watchword. That somebody can just come and turn the party into a garrison. The former governor (former Governor Oyetola) turned the party into a garrison, and he’s the commander. So, it was a jackboot; whatever he wants to do is what he will do, and that’s what will happen, not minding your contribution. Even people he came to meet in the party before he became the Chief of Staff. And my community too was not following along with that kind of leadership. So, I had to leave the party. So, that was the main thing that led to my leaving the party. And if you are also one of those people who are managing the image of the party and that of the former governor, and you discover that what we have been pushing out to Osun people are lies; lies against the Adeleke government. We said he did not buy tractors. Tractors will not work like korope or taxis on the street. They will be on the farm. We said he sacked our teachers, but the teachers he sacked were appointed at the wrong time when we had already become a lame duck in power. Because when you lose an election, you cannot start to give out appointments and employment to people without carrying along the person who has won. So, you are setting booby traps for his administration. And that was all those things that happened, and I just said I cannot continue to be part of the lies at this age, and I had to leave the party.

The party is not credible today because everything about the party is about Oyetola now. Nobody has an opinion. So, whatever he wants to do is what the party does. They will threaten you that they have federal power, they have the police. And I don’t think that is democracy.

So you’re one of the people who feel like the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy is sidelining party members and rewarding only his inner caucus with federal appointments?

It’s not a fit-for-purpose leadership that he runs. He does not run fit-for-purpose leadership.

In a recent interview, you called the APC “customer daadaa” (favourite opponent) to Governor Adeleke, what do you mean by that?

Customer daadaa, yes. Governor Adeleke has been defeating the party since 2017. He defeated us in a senatorial rerun in Osun West. He won nine out of 10 local governments with an unassailable margin. He also won in 2018 at the first ballot before Buhari’s remote control. And 2022 was emphatic with over 28,000 votes to defeat the incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola, then. And this 2026 will not be an exception.

You have mentioned federal power, and remote control. So, with President Tinubu, who is deemed the master strategist in office right now, are you confident that the so-called federal power and the remote control will not be used to defeat Governor Adeleke?

In actual fact, President Tinubu had wanted Governor Adeleke to run on the platform of the APC. It was Oyetola who would not allow it. But if you look at what we have in Osun State today, there is no way Adeleke will not win because of his, one, performance, two, acceptability and credibility, and third, accessibility. Since Oyetola left power, he has never been available to any community in Osun State. He does not go to occasions, he does not socialise. So, nobody wants him to be back because of a lot of issues about the workers’ salaries. The workers will not want him to be back. And then those people he denied promotion, civil servants and teachers, they won’t want him to be back.

So, you’re confident that President Tinubu will not work against the governor?

Let me tell you something to people who are thinking Tinubu will influence this election. You know this governorship election is a precursor to his own election in January? And Osun is in the South-West. For people who are encouraging him that he should interfere in the Osun election, he should tread softly because if he loses public confidence in Osun, it’s not likely he will secure another second term as President. Osun is symbolic in the history of the Yoruba. During the Kiriji War or Fulani War, it was in Osogbo that the Fulanis were conquered. So, he should be reminded of history that he could not mess up the Osun election.

‘I respect Oyetola but disagree with his politics’

YOUR resignation from the APC came as a surprise to many given that you served at the high table of the progressive family as the Commissioner for Education under the Oyetola administration. Since you were a key insider in that government, what changed fundamentally between that era of shared governance and the current direction of the party structure that made staying untenable for you?

I think, basically, for me, it was the way Otunba Iyiola Omisore was denied a level playing field to contest in this 2026 gubernatorial election. Some of us looked at the situation of APC in Osun State, and we considered the fact that Adeleke had already defeated us three times before now, and the fact that we need a formidable candidate to be able to confront Adeleke this time around. And that was why we decided to support Iyiola Omisore, with his clout and network of friends all over Nigeria. We believed that we would have a very good chance of reclaiming Osun State if we fielded distinguished Senator Iyiola Omisore. But, lo and behold, the party did not allow for a level playing field. They were ignominiously disqualified, and assessing the situation and looking at the future of the party and the current state of the party in Osun State, personally, I felt it was a hopeless situation continuing in the party. If Omisore can be treated the way he was treated, then the fate that awaits some of us in the party will be worse than that. So, that was one of the reasons why I left.

Then the second reason is that we all underrated Adeleke and, lo and behold, he surprised everybody with an outstanding performance. So, the whole idea for me was to retire completely from politics because I got completely fed up, and I then looked at the performance of Governor Ademola Adeleke, and I came to the conclusion that it would not be a bad idea if I supported this man to continue with the good work that he is doing, particularly what he has done in the major cities across Osun State. Look at what he is doing in Ife; look at the road, the dual carriageway, the flyover. Look at what he has done in Ilesa, look at the dual carriageway from the palace to the express in front of the gate. Look at what he has done at Ila Orangun, the dual carriageway entering Ila. Look at what he has done at Iwo; he has completely changed the face of Iwo, he has given Iwo a new facelift. You won’t recognise Iwo if you get there today. Look at what he has done in Osogbo, the state capital, with the two major flyovers and several roads that he has constructed. And again, look at the human capital, the welfare of the workers, how he completely offset the debts that we left behind—the almost 32 months’ half-salary arrears, and gratuities and pensions of retired civil servants. So, with this assessment, I felt the best thing to do is not to retire now prematurely, but to support this man to get a second term, so that he will continue the good work that he has done. So, those are the two major reasons why I decided: the way Moshood was treated, the lack of a level playing field, and then what APC has become.

So, last but not least is what happened in my senatorial district. It was an unprecedented move. How can you trade off a whole senatorial district? The leadership of the party decided to give Osun East Senatorial and all three House of Representatives seats in the entire district to strange bedfellows, newcomers, people that are coming from another party. So, you are implicitly saying that the people there before are worthless. Because if you have valuable people, you will not give out everything. How can you trade off a whole senatorial district? It then means that those of us that were in that particular senatorial district before now are valueless and worthless, that you have now just received people that you think you can present as the face of your party in that senatorial district. The senatorial seat was given out to a newcomer, the three House of Representatives seats were given out to new decampees. So, the foundational members that have stayed through thick and thin with the party over the years are suddenly not worthy of anything.

So, when that happened, I was forced to assess myself, assess my future in the party, and I came to the conclusion that I have only two options left: either to retire quietly to my farm and face my legal practice, or, if I want to continue in politics, support Adeleke to continue the good work that he is currently doing in Osun. That’s why I decided to leave the APC to join the Accord.

You’ve also mentioned Senator Omisore a lot, but he has stayed in the APC. So, how do you respond to the claim that this exit is a coordinated stance by the Omisore political structure?

Now, on the issue of Omisore staying behind, most of us that supported Senator Iyiola Omisore are either ex-this, ex-that, so we can decide what to do with our future without actually waiting for Omisore to give us directives. For instance, I just told you why I left, and the same thing applies to others. They assessed their future, and they decided that it is no longer worth staying in the APC. They decided their future, and they came to the conclusion that the next thing to do is to move. Yes, regardless of whether we supported Omisore or not, or whether Omisore is moving or not, Omisore has been in politics for more than 40 years. He will do what is in his own interest. We also will do what is in the interest of our future in politics. So, we decided to leave, knowing fully well that, for us, we don’t think APC is the way forward. So, it’s up to Omisore to determine whether he wants to stay behind or he wants to move, and he decided to stay behind. So, we wish him the best of luck. But for us, we just felt what happened to him is a lesson for the rest of us, that we need to draw a useful lesson from that experience. We must not wait until it happens to us. The Yoruba will say you learn from what happened to others: ọrọ ọlọrọ la fi n kọgbọn. You learn from what happened to others. If you wait for it to happen to you, then, in Yoruba parlance, you are a fool. You learn from what happened to others; you don’t wait until it happens to you.

The APC leadership in Osun has downplayed recent high-profile exits like yours, describing them as a ‘piecemeal resignation style’ intended to create a false impression of an implosion. What do you think your bloc’s withdrawal from the APC means for the party’s chances in the upcoming governorship election?

Well, they will tell you that we do not matter, that we are paperweights, we are this, we are that. That’s what politicians will say. But look at it this way: Adeleke won without us three times. In 2017, he ran for the Osun West senatorial election, he won 9 out of 10 local governments. In 2018, he led us by 352 until that inconclusive election. In 2022, he defeated us by 28,000 votes. Now, even if it is just 1,000 votes that we can add to him, it is a bonus. Without our bloc, Adeleke will still win based on what he has done. And I must confess something to you today, even if the party had fielded Omisore, we would have struggled to defeat Adeleke, based on his performance and the love the people have for him. Everywhere you go, everybody loves Adeleke, because he ran a government with a human face, or he is still running a government with a human face. So, when you hold power as a trustee, when you listen to the people before you do anything, they will love you. But when you hold power as a guardian, which was what APC was doing, you dictate to the people what they want, you don’t listen to their requests, you dictate to them, they will hate you. And that’s why there’s so much hostility towards APC in Osun today. Because APC administered power as a guardian. We think the people don’t know what they want, we are the ones that should dictate to them; this is what you need, this is what you want. Unlike us, Adeleke has held power and is still holding power as a trustee. He listens to every area, every community, asks them what they want, and he will do it for them. The people don’t like to be told what they want, that this is what they like. They don’t like to be treated as kids. So, you see, the difference between APC and Adeleke is that clear.

We spoke to someone who also defected from the APC like you and he talked about how former Governor Oyetola has held an iron grip on the party and is running a one-man show. Would you characterise his leadership of the party the same way?

I have huge respect for Governor Oyetola. A very pleasant man, no doubt. But I disagree with his politics, his style. So, to me, I think leadership should be a two-way thing. I mean loyalty should be a two-way thing, not just leadership. You are loyal to the leadership and the leadership should be loyal to you. A leadership that is loyal to the followers will not trade away a whole senatorial district to newcomers regardless of the feelings of foundational members. Do you understand what I mean now? I disagree with his politics and that’s one of the reasons why I left. If my leader will trade away a whole senatorial district and hand it over to newcomers, and tell foundational members who have been loyal for years to go to hell, then I think the situation speaks for itself. So, you can then characterise his leadership based on that. And when you put it side by side with the fact that it was only the senatorial district in his local government that a newcomer requested, and he refused to grant it. Ajagunla (Olubiyi Fadeyi) in Osun Central, a serving senator, defected to the APC and pleaded to be given the senatorial ticket for that senatorial district where our leader comes from. Of course, Governor Oyetola refused to give him the ticket. Only his senatorial district; no other person was asking for the three remaining House of Representatives seats. Now, if it was difficult for him to hand over the senatorial ticket for Osun Central, why was it easy to hand over the senatorial ticket and all three House of Representatives seats in Osun East to newcomers and decampees, regardless of the feelings of foundational members? So, that’s why I said I disagree with his politics. I have huge respect for him. He’s a very pleasant, very good man. But unfortunately, I find it very difficult to agree with his politics.

You are currently with the governor. In the first governorship election against former Governor Oyetola, there was the claim that the so-called federal might was used against Governor Adeleke. Now, with President Tinubu, who is known as the master strategist in Abuja, do you worry that this federal might would be deployed against the governor to prevent him from achieving victory in August?

The Yorubas will say don’t die before death comes. The Englishman will say a coward dies many times before his actual death. Is that not the cliché? So, we don’t want to die many times before our real death. Let’s let that day come. On August 15, we will go out there to vote. Federal might will not force us to thumbprint a party that we don’t want to thumbprint for. Will they force us? So, it is our job to assure our people that their vote will count. Our job is to give the masses the confidence to go out there and vote. No, we shouldn’t start thinking about federal might or no federal might. We believe that we will vote and that our vote will count. I believe that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a democrat; he will not want to soil his good name. He will not want to destroy the reputation he has built over the years with just one election, knowing fully well that this election is just three or four months before the presidential election. So, I sincerely believe that we will vote and our vote will count. And the most popular candidate will emerge the winner, and I believe Governor Adeleke is the most popular in this election. Like they say in MTN, it’s everywhere you go. Go to any nook and cranny of Osun State, Adeleke is very popular. The people are eager to vote for him, they cannot wait for August 15 to come. So, sincerely, I believe Governor Adeleke will win by a wide margin, regardless of any federal threat or might or whatever you call it.

Lastly, the former deputy governor, Iyiola Moshood, is also from Osun East, and he also has a deep structure in the district. With him still supporting the APC, what do you think of Governor Adeleke’s chances there?

What structure are you talking about? We are the Omisore structure, we are already with Adeleke. So, Omisore is left alone with them, they can do whatever they like with him. My brother, I’m the head of the Omisore structure in this area, and we are fully with Adeleke, I can assure you of that.

‘Why Tinubu won’t interfere with Osun guber poll’

You were a Special Adviser under former Governor Oyetola? So, what are the internal factors responsible for you eventually leaving the party, even though you were so close to the leadership of the party?

Like you said, I believed all along that I was very close to the leadership of the party, not knowing that my opinion would not count. The main issue was people whom we accused of masterminding the assassination of our members in Ijesha Land. And the leader of the party, Governor Oyetola, was also very active in trying to seek justice for those who had fallen. And all of a sudden, you see those people coming back into our party, and they handed the leadership of the party into their hands. People who were responsible for the killings in 2022 came, and the party’s affairs and activities were handed over to them.

Whose those people you say were responsible for the alleged killings?

Well, they are there. To the extent that you cannot say this is the person you are dealing with within the party concerning individual interest. And politics is about interests. It is free exit and free entry. So, coupled with the crisis of the disqualification of seven out of nine aspirants, I just discovered that it would not be the right party where egalitarianism would be the watchword. That somebody can just come and turn the party into a garrison. The former governor (former Governor Oyetola) turned the party into a garrison, and he’s the commander. So, it was a jackboot; whatever he wants to do is what he will do, and that’s what will happen, not minding your contribution. Even people he came to meet in the party before he became the Chief of Staff. And my community too was not following along with that kind of leadership. So, I had to leave the party. So, that was the main thing that led to my leaving the party. And if you are also one of those people who are managing the image of the party and that of the former governor, and you discover that what we have been pushing out to Osun people are lies; lies against the Adeleke government. We said he did not buy tractors. Tractors will not work like korope or taxis on the street. They will be on the farm. We said he sacked our teachers, but the teachers he sacked were appointed at the wrong time when we had already become a lame duck in power. Because when you lose an election, you cannot start to give out appointments and employment to people without carrying along the person who has won. So, you are setting booby traps for his administration. And that was all those things that happened, and I just said I cannot continue to be part of the lies at this age, and I had to leave the party.

The party is not credible today because everything about the party is about Oyetola now. Nobody has an opinion. So, whatever he wants to do is what the party does. They will threaten you that they have federal power, they have the police. And I don’t think that is democracy.

So you’re one of the people who feel like the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy is sidelining party members and rewarding only his inner caucus with federal appointments?

It’s not a fit-for-purpose leadership that he runs. He does not run fit-for-purpose leadership.

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In a recent interview, you called the APC “customer daadaa” (favourite opponent) to Governor Adeleke, what do you mean by that?

Customer daadaa, yes. Governor Adeleke has been defeating the party since 2017. He defeated us in a senatorial rerun in Osun West. He won nine out of 10 local governments with an unassailable margin. He also won in 2018 at the first ballot before Buhari’s remote control. And 2022 was emphatic with over 28,000 votes to defeat the incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola, then. And this 2026 will not be an exception.

You have mentioned federal power, and remote control. So, with President Tinubu, who is deemed the master strategist in office right now, are you confident that the so-called federal power and the remote control will not be used to defeat Governor Adeleke?

In actual fact, President Tinubu had wanted Governor Adeleke to run on the platform of the APC. It was Oyetola who would not allow it. But if you look at what we have in Osun State today, there is no way Adeleke will not win because of his, one, performance, two, acceptability and credibility, and third, accessibility. Since Oyetola left power, he has never been available to any community in Osun State. He does not go to occasions, he does not socialise. So, nobody wants him to be back because of a lot of issues about the workers’ salaries. The workers will not want him to be back. And then those people he denied promotion, civil servants and teachers, they won’t want him to be back.

So, you’re confident that President Tinubu will not work against the governor?

Let me tell you something to people who are thinking Tinubu will influence this election. You know this governorship election is a precursor to his own election in January? And Osun is in the South-West. For people who are encouraging him that he should interfere in the Osun election, he should tread softly because if he loses public confidence in Osun, it’s not likely he will secure another second term as President. Osun is symbolic in the history of the Yoruba. During the Kiriji War or Fulani War, it was in Osogbo that the Fulanis were conquered. So, he should be reminded of history that he could not mess up the Osun election.

Omisore is staying in APC, defections have nothing to do with him — Famurewa

Hon. Ajibola Israel Famurewa is a two-term Member of the House of Representatives from Atakumosa East-West Federal Constituency. He is currently the Director-General of the Osun Rescue Mission Team (formerly the Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation).

WHEN Governor Adeleke flagged off his campaign about two weeks ago, he did it while receiving the supporters of Senator Omisore, a former National Secretary of the party. What does that say about the state of the party ahead of the August 15 poll?

I can’t really say much about that. But one thing I can say is that, yes, some people crossed over from APC to Accord, and those people have their own reasons for that. They have their grievances and all that. Personally, I engaged them and I tried to pacify some of them, and that’s the reason why they should stay back in the party. But it was like some of them had made up their minds, and all my appeal went into deaf ears, sort of. They gave different reasons why they felt they can’t just keep on staying in the party. And for us, it has nothing to do with Senator Omisore. It’s personal to them. It’s personal to most of them. One, they’d say, “My intention, they did not give me tickets, the primary exercise was not fair and free,” or that some particular leaders are not good enough, or they are not doing enough for them, or they are not doing what is expected of them, really. Those are the excuses they’ve given. It has nothing to do with Senator Omisore. That’s it.

Last Monday, while representing the former senator at a party event, you said the former deputy governor had nothing to do with the defections. Some may find that hard to believe. Is he still solidly with the APC?

Of course, he’s in APC. He’s in APC. We are together. We were together at the Elders’ Meeting, I think, last Tuesday. He even pronounced it there that he is staying in APC and he’s going nowhere. He has nowhere to go. He’s a founding member of the party, of the progressives in Nigeria and in Osun State.

With the exodus of party faithful, with some people going to Accord from your camp, do you think that makes you weaker ahead of the governorship election on August 15?

It depends on which angle you are looking at it. Election outcomes, normally, you can’t really decide clearly, maybe two weeks to the election. Everything will still be dicey, fluctuating, if you are following the people’s opinion and all that. But by the time we are talking of two weeks to the election, then you must have seen some indications that will show clearly that, yes, you are having a very good day at the end of the day.

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In essence, you are not worried about these people who have left the party?

No, there is no way one will not be worried, of course. Because in as much as I will say that in party politics, there is free entry and free exit. Anybody can join a party at any time, and you can leave at your own will. Nobody can force you to join, and nobody can force you to leave. You can only do that at your own convenient time. That’s party politics for you. But then, if you look at that, nobody, no responsible person or a progressive-minded person, or somebody that wants his party to win an election, will say he’s happy that some people are leaving the party. Like in Yoruba, they say, “B’are da si bi ni inu oselu, won ki so pe b’are da si ohun.” (In politics, they say come over here, not go away.) You don’t chase people out. It’s a game of addition. Even if you are having an edge over your opponents, you still want to maintain the edge. You want to widen the gap. And the only thing you can do is to have more people in your fold. You will not be happy that people are leaving your fold. So nobody, no responsible person will say he’s happy that some people are leaving his party. But then, in a situation like that, when some people are leaving the party, you work on how to get people who will come in to fill the vacuum they’ve left behind. You understand? So that is the principle of politics that I, Famurewa, understand. I don’t believe in “B’are da si ohun.” (Go away.) Me, I believe in “B’are da si bi.” (Come over here.)

One of my leaders, late Chief Lere Adebayo, there is one thing he used to say when he was alive. He would say if you are going for election, make sure you have as many people as you can carry along with you. Even a madman, if you have a way to convince a madman, or to manage a madman on the day of the election, manage him. The election of a madman is as valid as the election of a professor or the election of a bishop. It will count the same. So, in other words, what he used to say is that if you are going for election, make sure you have a lot of people along with you. As many as possible; the more the merrier.