Osun APC’s Internal Crisis Persists Despite Repeated Losses: Leadership Rivalries, Exclusion and the Struggle for Political Direction

By Reloaded News Desk

The latest controversy surrounding the campaign structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has brought renewed attention to the internal challenges confronting the party as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.

What began as an announcement of a presidential and parliamentary campaign council quickly developed into a disagreement over leadership authority, party procedures, representation and the relationship between the state leadership and other influential political stakeholders.

The eventual decision to discontinue the presidential component of the council and retain it as the Osun State APC Parliamentary Campaign Council has addressed the immediate organisational dispute. However, the episode has also exposed questions about internal coordination and the party’s capacity to manage competing interests.

For a party seeking to regain political relevance in Osun following successive electoral setbacks, the developments raise a broader question about its organisational direction and the effectiveness of its reconciliation efforts.

Repeated Electoral Setbacks and the Question of Political Direction

The APC’s challenges cannot be examined without considering its recent electoral record in Osun.

The party lost control of the state in the 2022 governorship election when Ademola Adeleke defeated its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola. Four years later, the APC again failed to secure the governorship, as its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, lost to Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke winner of the August 15, 2026 election with 511,067 votes, against Oyebamiji’s 444,815.

The result was another setback for the APC’s ambition to return to government in Osun. It also placed the party’s organisation, campaign strategy, leadership decisions and relationship with the electorate under renewed scrutiny.

Electoral defeat does not automatically establish that a party is internally divided or poorly organised. However, repeated losses make it necessary for party leaders and stakeholders to examine the factors behind their performance and determine what changes are required.

The important question is whether Osun APC has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of its political strategy since losing power in 2022 and whether the lessons from the latest election are reflected in its present organisational arrangements.

Leadership Rivalries and the Question of Authority

One of the recurring issues within Osun APC is the relationship between the party’s formal leadership structure and the influential political figures who shape its activities.

The state chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, occupies a central position in the party’s organisational structure. However, Osun APC also has prominent figures with considerable political experience and influence, including former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, former governor Adebisi Akande, National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senator Iyiola Omisore and the party’s 2026 governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji among others.

Their individual positions, political relationships and influence make coordination among stakeholders particularly important.

The question is not whether influential leaders should participate in the affairs of the party. Rather, it is how their contributions can be accommodated within a clearly understood structure in which responsibilities and decision-making authority are respected.

Reports of agitation for a change in the state party leadership before the 2027 elections have also added another dimension to the discussion. While some stakeholders have reportedly questioned Lawal’s leadership and the party’s electoral record under his chairmanship, others have defended the existing structure and its role in maintaining the party’s organisation.

The national leadership’s reported decision to extend the tenure of the Osun State Working Committee until after the 2027 presidential election further demonstrates that the question of leadership continuity has been part of the party’s internal discussions.

These developments indicate that the debate over Osun APC’s direction extends beyond the latest campaign council disagreement.

Exclusion and the Limits of Internal Consultation

The controversy surrounding the campaign council provides a direct illustration of the party’s difficulties in managing internal consultation.

On November 2, the state chairman announced a 168-member Presidential and Parliamentary Campaign Council, with Oyebamiji appointed as Director-General and Lawal as Deputy Director-General.

The announcement generated objections from four members of the state executive committee: Wole Adunola, State Publicity Secretary; Adesola Ayangbile, Welfare Officer; Rasheed Adeniji, Assistant Organising Secretary; and Abiola Ololade, an ex-officio member.

The officials challenged the composition of the council, arguing that several members of the State Working Committee who were expected to be included under applicable party guidelines had been omitted.

They also questioned the creation of another presidential campaign structure when Governor Ademola Adeleke had already been designated to coordinate President Bola Tinubu’s campaign in Osun.

Their intervention forced the party to reconsider the arrangement.

The council was subsequently expanded to 183 members, with all members of the state executive committee accommodated. Its designation was also changed to the Osun State APC Parliamentary Campaign Council, removing the presidential component.

However, the dispute raises a question that goes beyond the membership of one committee: how are important decisions reached within the party, and how much consultation takes place before announcements are made?

A political organisation depends on established procedures and the confidence of its members in the fairness of its internal processes. When recognised executives publicly challenge decisions taken by their leadership, the disagreement becomes an organisational issue requiring more than an administrative adjustment.

The Adeleke Factor and the Presidential Campaign Arrangement

The disagreement also exposed an unusual political arrangement involving Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Although Adeleke belongs to the Accord Party, he was designated to coordinate President Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Osun. His appointment followed the inauguration of a broad-based campaign structure involving individuals from different political parties.

The Osun APC leadership subsequently announced its own presidential and parliamentary campaign council, with Oyebamiji as Director-General.

This created an apparent overlap between the two structures and raised questions about the relationship between the national presidential campaign arrangement and the APC’s state organisation.

The objections raised by some party executives brought the issue into the open, while the eventual renaming of the council provided an administrative distinction between presidential mobilisation and the APC’s parliamentary campaign activities.

The party has since maintained that Adeleke’s presidential campaign role remains separate from the Oyebamiji-led parliamentary campaign council.

The development illustrates the complexity of coordinating a presidential campaign involving political actors from different parties while simultaneously organising support for candidates contesting under the APC platform.

It also demonstrates why clear communication between national campaign authorities and state party leadership is important.

The Challenge of Building Unity After Electoral Defeat

Political parties that lose elections often face the difficult task of rebuilding their structures, retaining existing members, attracting new supporters and restoring confidence among stakeholders.

For Osun APC, this task is particularly important because the party is preparing for another major electoral cycle after failing to regain the governorship.

The reported disagreements over leadership, calls for changes in the state party structure and the latest campaign council controversy suggest that reconciliation remains an important issue.

There have also been wider reconciliation efforts involving APC leaders in the South-West, including former governors Babatunde Fashola, Olusegun Mimiko and Adeniyi Adebayo.

Such efforts may provide opportunities for dialogue among stakeholders, but the effectiveness of reconciliation will ultimately depend on whether grievances are addressed and agreed procedures are respected.

Unity cannot be sustained merely by expanding committees or bringing different personalities into campaign structures. It requires confidence in leadership, transparency in decision-making, recognition of party structures and a willingness among stakeholders to work within an agreed framework.

What Direction for Osun APC?

Beyond the immediate disagreement, Osun APC faces the broader responsibility of defining its political direction ahead of 2027.

The party needs to determine how it intends to rebuild public confidence, strengthen its grassroots organisation and establish a working relationship among its different political blocs.

It must also examine the issues that shaped its recent electoral performance, including its campaign strategy, candidate selection processes, relationship with communities and ability to present a coherent political message.

The parliamentary campaign council is now expected to coordinate the party’s efforts for its National and State Assembly candidates. Its effectiveness will depend not only on the names included in the structure but also on the level of cooperation among its members and the clarity of its mandate.

For the party’s leadership, the immediate challenge is to ensure that disagreements over appointments and political authority do not continue to distract from the task of rebuilding its organisation.

The Crisis Beyond the Campaign Council

The reversal of the presidential campaign structure may have settled the immediate controversy, but it has not answered every question about the internal workings of Osun APC.

The party’s recent electoral record, reported leadership disagreements, complaints of exclusion and overlapping campaign arrangements point to organisational issues that require sustained attention.

Whether these developments amount to a wider leadership crisis will depend on how the party addresses the underlying grievances and establishes a more consistent system of internal coordination.

For Osun APC, the challenge is not simply to constitute another committee or announce another campaign structure. It is to establish a political organisation in which its leaders, executives, candidates and grassroots members understand their responsibilities and can work towards clearly defined objectives.

The 2027 elections will test the extent to which the party has addressed these issues. Until then, the most important measure of its internal reconciliation will be whether the disagreements that have repeatedly surfaced can be resolved through credible consultation, institutional discipline and a common political direction.