By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Five governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State have passed a vote of no confidence in the party’s state chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, demanding his immediate resignation over allegations of bias, abuse of office, and actions they claim have undermined the integrity of the party’s governorship primary process.
The aggrieved aspirants—former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan; Engr. Hakeem Alao; Barr. Akeem Agbaje; Mr. Ololade Usman Bakare; and Mr. Musibau Asanike—made their position known in a statement issued after what they described as a crucial meeting held on Monday, June 1, 2026.
The aspirants accused Adeyemo of failing to uphold the principles of fairness, internal democracy, and unity within the party, alleging that his actions before, during, and after the APC governorship primary election compromised the credibility of the process.
According to the statement, the chairman allegedly instructed local government party chairmen across the state to mobilise support for a preferred aspirant ahead of the primary election, a move the aspirants described as a violation of the neutrality expected of a party leader.
They further alleged that Adeyemo prematurely announced a winner of the governorship primary before the APC National Working Committee (NWC) officially released the results, an action they said contravened the party’s constitution and established procedures.
The aspirants maintained that only the NWC possesses the constitutional authority to announce the outcome of governorship primaries.
“After extensive deliberations, we express our deep dissatisfaction with the way the party is being run in Oyo State. We believe the current leadership has failed to uphold fairness, internal democracy and unity, which are essential ingredients for building a strong political party,” the statement read.
The group stated that their demand for the chairman’s resignation was based on what they described as a pattern of conduct that had eroded confidence in the party’s internal processes.
Among their grievances was Adeyemo’s alleged public endorsement of an aspirant following a Sallah meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to them, the chairman granted media interviews and publicly referred to the aspirant as the party’s candidate before the official declaration of results.
They also cited what they described as a public display of partisanship when the chairman reportedly raised the hand of an aspirant as the APC flagbearer, arguing that such conduct further reinforced perceptions of bias.
The aspirants warned that the party risks repeating the mistakes that contributed to its setbacks in the 2019 and 2023 elections if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
“We have not forgotten the bitter lessons of 2019 and 2023 in Oyo State. Provocative speeches by the state chairman and his associates can tear the party apart. We lost not because our ideals were weak, but because division, imposition and injustice weakened our ranks,” they stated.
They stressed that transparency, equity, and justice must guide all party decisions if the APC hopes to strengthen its chances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group also accused the chairman of failing to provide adequate leadership during the election period, alleging that he did not convene meetings of governorship aspirants at critical stages of the process.
In addition, they claimed that inadequate election materials supplied from the state party secretariat disrupted voting in some areas and disenfranchised delegates participating in the primary election.
The Merit Newspaper reports that the aspirants further expressed concern over what they described as a growing exodus of party members to rival political parties, attributing the trend to dissatisfaction among loyal APC members who allegedly feel marginalised and neglected under the current leadership.
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According to them, the continued loss of members poses a significant threat to the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo State.
Consequently, they called on the APC National Working Committee and other relevant stakeholders to intervene and ensure the immediate resignation of the state chairman in the interest of party unity and stability.
“The future of the APC in Oyo State depends on transparent leadership, respect for rules and justice for all members. We remain committed to building a united party, but that can only happen when the right thing is done,” the statement added.
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As of the time of filing this report, Chief Moses Adeyemo had not publicly responded to the allegations levelled against him by the five governorship aspirants.
