Oyo 2027: APC reconciliation deepens as Folarin, Adelabu, other aggrieved aspirants stay away

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By Adeola Badru

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has intensified efforts to resolve its internal disagreements ahead of the 2027 general elections, as its National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, received the report of the state reconciliation committee in Ibadan.

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The meeting was conspicuously held in the absence of some of the party’s prominent aggrieved governorship aspirants, including former governor and Senator Teslim Folarin, Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, Akeem Agbaje, Hakeem Alao and former deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan.

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The reconciliation meeting, which also had the party’s Oyo State governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, in attendance, was convened as part of efforts to resolve lingering grievances arising from the party’s governorship primary and reposition the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

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Speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting, Yilwatda described reconciliation within the party as a continuous process, while stressing that unity among members would be critical to the APC’s ambition of reclaiming Oyo State from the ruling party in 2027.

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The National Chairman said the disagreements within the party should be viewed as an internal family matter, expressing optimism that the issues would be resolved through dialogue.

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He said, “The APC is a family. Whatever that is happening in the party is a family issue. It is normal for members of the same family to have challenges but we are happy that the issues are being addressed as a family.

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“We are a family. It is normal for children of the same family to have some little difficulties. But we are happy that the party is still stable.

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“Also from the report that we gathered from the reconciliation committee and other stakeholders, the party is stable and we are good to go.”

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Yilwatda maintained that the reconciliation exercise had not been concluded, assuring that the concerns raised by aggrieved members would be considered and addressed by the party leadership.

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According to him, the renewed reconciliation process is designed to address grievances, rebuild trust among members and strengthen the party’s organisational structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

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He said the APC would continue to engage its members in order to prevent the internal disagreements from undermining its electoral prospects in the state.

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On the outcome of the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, Yilwatda said the APC had yet to adopt an official position on the result.

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He explained that the National Working Committee (NWC) would first review the election with the party’s candidate and other relevant stakeholders before taking a definitive position.

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“We have not sat down as a party to take a position. A position as a party will involve the National Working Committee inviting candidates and taking a review of what happened in Osun State,” he said.

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The APC National Chairman, however, described the Osun election as a learning experience for the party, stressing the need for political maturity and sportsmanship among its members.

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Earlier, the chairman of the Oyo State APC Reconciliation Committee, Femi Lanlehin, said the committee was making progress in its efforts to bring the aggrieved members back together before the 2027 elections.

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Lanlehin disclosed that the committee had met with all the aggrieved governorship aspirants and submitted its findings to the National Chairman for further action.

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He said, “The party is making headway in its efforts to reconcile the aggrieved members before the conduct of the 2027 elections.

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“The committee had met with all the aggrieved aspirants and the findings have been presented to the national chairman.

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“We just came out of the primaries and some people are not happy with the outcome. They expressed their disappointment.

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“They were aggrieved. We have presented our findings to the National Chairman of our party to act on it.”

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Lanlehin further disclosed that the APC leadership was planning to meet with President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to resolve the crisis internally and prevent the disagreements from affecting the party’s chances in 2027.

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He insisted that the party could not afford to allow the lingering disagreements to hand an advantage to opposition parties in Oyo State.

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“We cannot afford to lose the 2027 election to any opposition party in Oyo State. I am assuring you that we will win all the elective positions at all levels in 2027 in Oyo State,“ he said.

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