By Baɓajide Omole
The All Progressives Congress (APC) suffered a devastating electoral defeat in Osun State in 2022, a very sad development widely attributed to the internal dysfunction, egoistic tendencies, and autocratic centralization of power around the former governor, Gboyega Oyetola. Rather than exercising inclusive leadership, accommodating different opinions for political stability, Oyetola was held politically captive by a cabal composed of his son, Femi Oyetola, and a litany of four strategically positioned commissioners whose words then were law and final. These unproductive and politically lightweight politicians, who served as the kitchen cabinet and inner circle, alienated party leaders and stakeholders and systematically undermined the governor’s capacity to build a broad-based consensus, culminating in a crushing loss at the polls. One would have expected that such a political debacle would have inspired introspection to curate a lesson for the former governor.
Contrary to that expectation, the trajectory since Oyetola’s ascension to ministerial office reveals a pattern of exclusionary politics and nepotistic appointments. His leadership style remains alarmingly rigid and unresponsive, often prioritizing personal loyalty to the boss and servant relationship and blood affiliations over merit, spread, and party unity. The ability to coordinate a very staggered and heterogeneous camp into an undivided socio-political ecosystem, from party factions to allied groups, defines the mettle of a true leader. Yet, the cohesion of the Osun APC continues to unravel under Oyetola’s watch, as he appears more interested in reviving historic rivalries than forging new alliances.
There is growing discontent over a series of federal appointments that reinforce the dominance of Oyetola’s loyalist circle – The Ilerioluwa caucus, often to the detriment of wider party interests. Most contentious was the backstabbing appointment of Bola Oyebamiji as MD to the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), a nomination that reanimated old grudges within the Ilerioluwa bloc between Hon. Ajbola Israel Famurewa and Oyebamiji. This, coupled with the appointment of Engr. Fatai Taye Adeyemi to the executive director operations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has sparked allegations of ethnic favouritism. No member of the party, either directly or indirectly, has benefited from NIMASA since January 2024. Also, Adeyemi, like Oyetola, hails from Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government, further intensifying claims of disproportionate nepotism towards a single demographic enclave. Political watchers said Oyetola should have given such a magnificent position to another federal constituency, as Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrashidi Olabomi, is also a political appointee, serving as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The three major appointments are bigger than the Iragbiji inside the Boripe local government, politically.
Further digging deep into the intra-party tensions is the recurrent recycling of Oyetola’s aides into critical national roles. The appointments of Engr. Remi Omowaiye, Engr. Lekan Badmus, Engr. Kayode Sowade and his son-in-law, Idris Alubankudi, now a special adviser to the President, are seen as part of an ongoing pattern of internal patronage to stifle members of the Osun APC into slavery for the second time. Just recently, Oyetola recommended his former Chief of Staff, Dr. Charles Akinola, for the MD position at the South West Development Commission, despite Akinola’s lack of electoral engagement or proven political pedigree. Critics have pointed out that other states in the SWDC are fielding political heavyweights, while Osun is once again submitting a technocrat cloaked in sheepish loyalty rather than political expediency that will favour the larger interest of the party in strength and might. To make matters worse, Hon. Nike Omoworare, who will serve as a board member on the SWDC, is from the senatorial district like Akinola, what a misrepresentation! The same Omoworare is already chewing a pie as a council member of Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, why can’t the minister consider another party member from another district?
This pervasive concentration of opportunity within the Ilerioluwa circle has provoked widespread disillusionment among grassroots APC members in all the local government areas. There should be a resounding call for liberation, a demand for democratizing political privilege within the party. Members are openly questioning when the stranglehold of Oyetola’s loyalists will be broken, and when ordinary, unaffiliated party faithful will be considered for meaningful appointments. The current dynamics if it continues, where allegiance to Oyetola alone is a prerequisite for appointment, risks institutionalizing political stagnation and further eroding the APC’s electoral viability in Osun. No one builds a great party and exemplary leadership by making everyone stooges to you and your elementary cabal.
Hon. Babajide Omole is from Ward 9 – Abatuntun in Faforiji Village, Atakumosa East Local Government, Osun State
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