The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has intensified efforts to resolve internal disagreements ahead of the 2027 elections, with its reconciliation committee submitting its findings to the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
However, five prominent governorship aspirants of the party – Teslim Folarin, Bayo Adelabu, Akeem Agbaje, Hakeem Alao and Rauf Olaniyan – were absent when the report was presented to Yilwatda in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday.
The meeting, which was also attended by the party’s governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, focused on efforts to reconcile aggrieved aspirants and their supporters across the 33 local government areas of the state.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Yilwatda said reconciliation within the APC remained an ongoing process, describing the party as a family where disagreements among members were expected but could be resolved collectively.
“The APC is a family. Whatever that is happening in the party is a family issue. It is normal for members of the same family to have challenges, but we are happy that the issues are being addressed as a family,” he said.
According to him, the information gathered by the reconciliation committee and consultations with other stakeholders showed that the party remained stable and prepared for the political challenges ahead.
“From the report that we gathered from the reconciliation committee and other stakeholders, the party is stable and we are good to go,” the national chairman said.
Yilwatda, however, stressed that the reconciliation process had not been concluded, assuring that the concerns raised by aggrieved members would be considered and addressed by the party leadership.
Chairman of the reconciliation committee, Sen. Femi Lanlehin, said the committee had made progress in its efforts to unite members ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lanlehin disclosed that the committee had met with all the aggrieved aspirants and formally presented its findings to the national chairman.
“We just came out of the primaries and some people are not happy with the outcome. They expressed their disappointment. They were aggrieved. We have presented our findings to the National Chairman of our party to act on it,” he said.
He added that the APC leadership was considering a meeting with President Bola Tinubu to discuss ways of resolving the disagreements and strengthening the party ahead of the elections.
Lanlehin said the party could not afford to allow its internal disagreements to affect its electoral prospects in Oyo State, declaring that the APC was determined to secure victory across all elective positions in 2027.
“We cannot afford to lose the 2027 election to any opposition parties in Oyo State,” he said.
“I am assuring you that we will win all the elective positions at all levels in 2027 in Oyo State.”
The reconciliation efforts come amid lingering discontent following the APC governorship primary, with some aspirants and their supporters reportedly dissatisfied with the outcome.
The party leadership is now seeking to close ranks among its members and prevent the disagreements from undermining its preparations for the 2027 general elections in Oyo State.
