JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has come under fire following the party’s primary election results in Osun Central Senatorial District.
Angry party supporters questioned why Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi was subjected to insults by party leaders despite his apparent popularity among the grassroots and strong performance in office.
The discontent, which continues to spread across Osogbo, Olorunda, Boripe and other areas of the district, stems from comparisons between the political fate of Senator Fadeyi and the treatment allegedly meted out to four other federal lawmakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who later defected to the APC in Osun State.
Many party members argued that if the defectors could comfortably get a ticket home and political patronage in the APC, there was no convincing explanation as to why Senator Fadeyi could suddenly be removed politically.
Party supporters insist that the senator’s only “transgression” may be his refusal to join any of the dominant political camps currently battling for supremacy within the Osun APC.
According to some aggrieved members, Senator Fadeyi is widely seen as more loyal to the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than to the interests of any other faction in the state.
“This is what confuses many of us,” said an APC member in Osogbo on condition of anonymity.
“Senator Fadeyi is not fighting anyone. He has remained loyal to the party and President Tinubu. So why is he suddenly being treated differently while former PDP members are being embraced and protected?”
They also questioned the leadership of the APC in Osun State in complying with President Bola Tinubu’s firm directive that all ‘campaign participants’ should be given return tickets, which was largely complied with in the case of four other lawmakers who crossed over from the PDP but failed to do the same with Senator Fadeyi, thereby raising suspicions of double standards and ulterior motives in the primary election for Osun Central Senatorial District.
Another pro-party from Olorunda alleged that the results of the primary elections may have gone beyond ordinary internal democracy and entered the realm of factional supremacy struggles.
“There are growing suspicions that Senator Fadeyi was sacrificed because of the cold war between the camp of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, and the camp of the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru,” the source claimed.
“People are starting to see this as an indirect attempt to humiliate Bashiru politically.”
The emergence of Adegoke Rasheed, popularly known as KRAD, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the winner of the senatorial primaries has further increased speculation among the party.
Some APC members believe the emergence of KRAD may be part of a broader political strategy designed to checkmatize Bashiru’s growing influence in Osun politics and possibly thwart his ambition to become governor by 2030.
Party insiders argue that since Bashiru is a prominent political figure from Osogbo, the installation of another influential political figure based in Osogbo in the Senate could weaken its long-term structure and divide political loyalties in the capital.
“Everyone in Osun politics knows that there have been discussions that in 2030 it will be back to Osogbo,” said another party source.
“So many people believe that bringing KRAD to the Senate was a calculated move to weaken Bashiru’s rising political profile before he became too powerful.”
Adding to the controversy is what many party members described as a “mysterious reversal” by the APC regarding KRAD’s eligibility status.
Party followers recall that the same APC had reportedly disqualified KRAD from participating in the primaries for the upcoming August 15 gubernatorial election in Osun State, but the party later expelled him for the senatorial election.
This development has many of his supporters wondering what has actually changed in such a short time.
“That is another issue that no one is answering,” said a party member in Boripe.
“How can someone be ineligible for a gubernatorial primary one moment and suddenly be eligible for the Senate the next? What exactly has changed about him?”
This controversy is not unique to the senator’s district.
In Osogbo Federal Constituency, similar allegations have also emerged over the victory of Hon. Ibrahim Taofeeq Kayode, popularly known as ITK, who many in the party believe has the backing of Oyetola’s political machine.
Some members alleged that ITK’s emergence was strategically orchestrated to defeat the preferred candidate allegedly linked to Bashiru’s camp, Prince Abdulrasheed Muideen Romeo, known as Romeo.
READ ALSO:
“This is no longer ordinary politics,” said an APC youth leader in Osogbo.
“What many of us saw was a deliberate attempt to demonize Ajibola Bashiru politically by ensuring that all his preferred candidates lost.”
Other members warned that the APC risks creating deep internal divisions ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial and general elections if urgent reconciliation steps are not taken.
“The party leadership must move quickly to address this abnormality,” said the source.
“Otherwise, the APC may take matters into their own hands. You cannot continue to impose choices on voters while ignoring grassroots sentiments and expecting unity before a major election.”
Some members also expressed concern that the increasing perception of political coercion and selective treatment within the party could lower the morale of loyal supporters in Osun Central and Osogbo Federal Constituencies.
“There is already anger on the ground,” said another party supporter.
“People are starting to ask whether loyalty to the party still matters or whether survival now depends entirely on belonging to one camp or another.”
As backlash continues following the contentious primaries, many APC supporters in Osun are now anxiously watching whether the party leadership will intervene to defuse the rising tensions before divisions widen ahead of the upcoming elections.
Timothy Enitan-Matthews
