By Adeboye Adebayo
Ismail Omipidan’s warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over Osun State’s presidential campaign arrangement raises an important question for me and that is Who and what is stopping Osun APC from having its own structure for 2027?
In his October 14 article, “Tinubu Must Beware: Osun Panic Strategy May Backfire!”, Omipidan argues that appointing Governor Ademola Adeleke as coordinator of Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Osun could alienate APC members and undermine mobilisation. He urges the President and the party leadership to allow Osun APC to maintain its own structure.
His concern about party loyalty deserves consideration. However, the argument also invites scrutiny of his own public record and the evidence supporting his warning.
I am writing as an APC member who has remained committed to the party through difficult periods. While some members have benefited from appointments and other opportunities, many others have continued to sacrifice, defend the party and work for its survival without receiving corresponding recognition or reward.
These members deserve to be heard. Their loyalty should not matter only when their votes and mobilisation are needed.
That is why Omipidan’s record as Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Gboyega Oyetola is relevant.
In July 2021, Omipidan publicly maintained that, from the administration’s perspective, there was no faction in the Osun APC. He also rejected allegations that the party’s membership revalidation exercise had been hijacked.
A month later, he defended the administration’s approach to party reform, describing the effort as an attempt to return the party to its rightful owners. He further maintained that appointments in the government had been made through consensus.
These statements form part of the public record of the dispute over the APC’s leadership and internal organisation in Osun. They provide a basis for examining how Omipidan responded to concerns raised by party members, whether he acknowledged their grievances, and how he explained the administration’s handling of the disagreements.
As the governor’s chief spokesperson, he did not personally control every party decision, but he was a prominent defender of the administration’s position.
If he believed then that the party was being managed appropriately, he should explain how that position squares with his present concern about members feeling marginalised. What has changed in his assessment? What lessons has he drawn from the disagreements of that period?
He is entitled to speak after leaving office. But his previous public positions remain relevant when assessing his present arguments. Political accountability requires more than criticising an arrangement after the circumstances have changed.
What the current arrangement actually mean is that Governor Adeleke belongs to the Accord Party, yet he has been appointed to coordinate Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Osun. The arrangement is unusual and understandably raises questions among APC members, particularly those who recently campaigned against Adeleke’s re-election.
However, the appointment alone does not prove that Osun APC has surrendered its political identity or lost the ability to organise.
Indeed, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru publicly explained on October 14 that the understanding with Adeleke concerned Tinubu’s re-election, while the APC would continue to contest other electoral positions against its opponents.
That affirms that the presidential alliance is not necessarily intended to replace the APC’s independent political activities in Osun.
The remaining challenge is implementation. How will the party protect its grassroots structures, recognise the sacrifices of its members and prevent a presidential alliance from weakening its own candidates and organisation?
Those are legitimate questions. Omipidan would strengthen his argument by identifying the specific arrangements he believes threaten the party, rather than leaving readers to infer that its structure is already being taken away.
So, the central question is who and what is actually stopping Osun APC from having its own structure for 2027? If there is a concrete restriction, it should be identified. If the concern is about how the alliance will operate in practice, the party leadership should provide clear assurances and demonstrate that its commitments are being honoured.
Omipidan also challenges the reported target of 1.5 million votes for Tinubu in Osun, arguing that the state has never delivered a million votes to a presidential candidate.
The target was publicly announced by Adeleke’s Imole Campaign Council. But a campaign pledge is not proof that the promised votes will materialise. Equally, historical results alone cannot establish with certainty what voters will do in 2027.
The target deserves serious scrutiny against past election results, voter turnout, the number of registered voters and the campaign’s actual mobilisation capacity.
If the target is unrealistic, its proponents should explain how they arrived at it. If they believe it is achievable, they should present a credible strategy.
What matters is whether the campaign can turn its promises into votes without neglecting the interests of the APC members whose support will remain important to the party’s wider political future.
The future of Osun APC depends on more than the composition of a presidential campaign council. It depends on the party’s ability to reconcile internal differences, listen to grassroots members and build an organisation that can survive beyond the ambitions of individual politicians.
Omipidan is entitled to warn Tinubu about the possible consequences of the current arrangement. But his own record deserves examination, particularly his defence of the Oyetola administration’s handling of party affairs during an earlier period of internal disagreement.
I remain committed to the APC because I believe its future must be built on participation, accountability and respect for the sacrifices of its members. Those who have worked for the party without receiving appointments or other benefits should not be treated as expendable when political alliances are negotiated.
Osun APC needs clear assurances that its structures, candidates and grassroots interests will be protected. It also needs leaders and commentators who are willing to confront the party’s history honestly rather than apply different standards as political circumstances change.
Omipidan has raised an important question about the strategy for 2027. But before presenting himself as a defender of party members’ interests, he should also address the questions arising from the positions he defended when he was closer to power.
The APC’s future in Osun will depend not on warnings alone, but on credible organisation, internal fairness and respect for the members who have kept the party alive.
Adeboye Adebayo is an APC member and political commentator.
