The outcome of the Osun State governorship election has reignited concerns over alleged anti-party activities and deepening divisions within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC candidate in Osun State, Bola Oyebamiji, lost to Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, a development that has reportedly triggered mixed reactions among APC members in Ondo State.
Some supporters of Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa were reportedly said to have celebrated Adeleke’s victory, while others blamed the APC’s defeat on what they described as the alleged imposition of Oyebamiji as the party’s candidate.
The development has once again brought internal disagreements within the Ondo APC to the fore, particularly as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.
Supporters of Aiyedatiwa recently protested against the decision of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to reject some aspirants allegedly backed by the governor as the party’s National Assembly candidates.
One of the affected aspirants, who recently appeared on Arise TV, reportedly warned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could lose Ondo State in 2027 if the party failed to recognise him and other candidates backed by the governor.
Although Aiyedatiwa has said he constituted a reconciliation committee to unite the party ahead of the elections, there are allegations that some aspirants who lost the APC primaries and are challenging the party’s decisions in court have his backing.
There are also claims that some of the governor’s loyalists are considering contesting the 2027 National Assembly elections on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led nationally by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
One of the cases generating attention involves Mathew Oyerinmade, popularly known as Mato, who recently attempted to withdraw his suit challenging the victory of APC candidate Festus Adefiranye in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency. The court subsequently dismissed the case.
Oyerinmade, regarded as an ally of Aiyedatiwa, had initially expressed interest in contesting the Ondo South Senatorial District seat on the APC platform.
Sources claimed that the governor later asked him to drop the senatorial ambition after reportedly settling on Isaacs Kekemeke as his preferred consensus candidate for the district.
Oyerinmade was subsequently presented as the governor’s consensus candidate for the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency.
However, there are now allegations of a rift between Aiyedatiwa and Kekemeke, with claims that Oyerinmade was encouraged to withdraw his court case and prepare to contest the senatorial election on the PDP platform against Kekemeke.
A party source alleged that the governor may have fallen out with Kekemeke after reportedly learning that the former APC Southwest Vice Chairman lobbied for the retention of his name as the party’s senatorial candidate for Ondo South without the governor’s knowledge.
The source claimed that Oyerinmade had already presented his nephew, Akinwumi Oladotun, as a placeholder on the PDP platform, with plans for him to eventually step aside.
Similar allegations have emerged in the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, where former APC chieftain and House of Representatives aspirant Prince Idowu Mafimisebi was reportedly being encouraged to defect to the PDP and challenge the APC candidate, Donald Ojogo.
According to the source, Aiyedatiwa had opposed Ojogo’s emergence as the APC candidate and had supported another aspirant, Pastor Leke Akingboye.
The source further claimed that Akingboye is currently challenging Ojogo’s candidacy in court and that Mafimisebi could be mobilised as an alternative should the legal challenge fail.
The source also alleged that Bibopri Ajube, an APC chieftain from Ese-Odo Local Government Area and an ally of the governor, recently met with 10 ward chairmen from the area in Lagos to mobilise support for Oyerinmade, Mafimisebi and Bekewe Olowu for the Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly respectively.
Meanwhile, there have also been concerns over Aiyedatiwa’s alleged relationship with opposition politicians, particularly members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The governor was previously alleged to have worked against the return of Senator Niyi Adegbonmire to the Senate.
He was reportedly said to have directed the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti, to resign his position shortly before the APC senatorial primary and contest against Adegbonmire. Fasoranti subsequently lost the primary and was later reinstated as SSG.
Attention has also been drawn to the repeated presence of Senator Ayo Akinyelure, the ADC senatorial candidate for Ondo Central and an ally of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, at the Ondo State Government House.
A photograph showing Aiyedatiwa and Akinyelure shortly after a Sunday service at the Government House Chapel recently circulated on social media, prompting speculation over their relationship and its possible political implications.
However, the governor’s camp has dismissed the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and intended to create division within the APC.
Aiyedatiwa’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the claims were “false, misleading and a deliberate attempt to manufacture controversy.”
Adeniyan explained that the Government House Chapel is a public place of worship open to citizens irrespective of their political affiliations.
He said Akinyelure attended the service to worship and to thank the governor for sending a delegation and goodwill message to his 70th birthday celebration.
The spokesman further reaffirmed Aiyedatiwa’s commitment to the APC and its candidates, saying the governor would work with the party’s structures to ensure victory for the APC in all elections in Ondo State.
He urged APC members and the public to disregard what he described as attempts by political actors to create division within the party.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, the competing claims and counterclaims have continued to fuel concerns over the ability of the Ondo APC to resolve its internal disagreements and present a united front at the polls.
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