Four executives of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State have rejected the state's newly released presidential campaign council list and called for it to be reviewed immediately. The four announced their position in a statement obtained in Osogbo, the state capital, on Tuesday, according to Punch Newspapers.
The statement was signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Wole Adunola; the Welfare Officer, Adesola Ayangbile; the Assistant Organising Secretary, Rasheed Adeniji; and the Osun APC Ex-Officio, Abiola Ololade.
Why it matters
The dispute exposes a rift inside the Osun APC over how the party's campaign for the 2027 general elections is being organised. The four officials say the list leaves out people who should be on it by right and does not match an earlier directive said to have placed Governor Ademola Adeleke at the head of the state campaign. How the party's state and national leadership handles the complaint could shape how united the Osun chapter campaigns for President Bola Tinubu's re-election.
What the four officials are saying
The executives said they had studied the list and were strongly dissatisfied with how it was put together. In their view, it does not properly reflect the party's guidelines, the expected process, or the inclusiveness such an important campaign body requires. They therefore rejected the list as it stands.
They raised two main concerns. First, several members of the State Working Committee were left out, even though the applicable guidelines are said to make them statutory members of the council. Second, they argued that the list's makeup conflicts with an earlier presidential directive that reportedly named Governor Adeleke as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council in Osun State.
According to the statement, the governor acted on that directive by promptly setting up a broad-based campaign team to run the presidential campaign across the state. The executives said it is unclear why a different structure has now appeared without proper explanation or alignment with the arrangement already in place.
They also suggested a possible explanation. If the new list is meant to be a Parliamentary Campaign Council rather than the Presidential Campaign Council, they said, its composition would make more sense. They called for that distinction to be made clearly so that it does not cause confusion, overlapping duties or friction within the party's campaign.
The four officials stressed that the State Executive Committee is a core part of the APC's organisational structure and cannot be pushed aside when a state-wide campaign council is formed. They said the exclusion of recognised party officials raises serious questions about consultation, due process and respect for the party's established leadership.
Calls for consultation and review
The executives asked for the published list to be reviewed at once, with proper consultations involving relevant stakeholders. They named the National Secretary of the party, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, and the State Director-General as among those who should be involved, to ensure the structure is properly aligned and coordinated.
They also urged party leaders at state and national level to deal with their concerns without delay and make the necessary corrections. Their position, they said, is that the campaign council must respect party structures, recognise legitimate leadership, include critical stakeholders and bring members together for electoral victory.
The task ahead, they added, requires unity, discipline, strategic coordination and shared responsibility, and no legitimate stakeholder should be left out. They said they remain fully committed to the success of the party's presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to the APC's overall interests, but insisted that the current list must be reviewed to reflect the inclusiveness and institutional respect needed for a strong and united campaign.
Background to the list
Punch Newspapers had earlier reported that the Osun State chapter of the APC unveiled a 168-member presidential and parliamentary campaign council. The body is to work for President Tinubu's re-election and canvass votes for other party candidates in the 2027 general elections.
A statement signed by the state APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said the council was set up to strengthen the party's chances at the polls. It named Bola Oyebamiji, the party's candidate in the August 8 governorship election, as Director-General, with Lawal serving as Deputy Director-General among other members.
Punch Newspapers also reported separately that Oyebamiji leads what it described as a parallel presidential campaign council in the state.
The four executives who signed Tuesday's statement did not say what steps they would take if their demand is not met. What happens next depends on whether the state and national leadership of the APC agree to reopen the list and consult the officials who say they were left out.
