The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be heading into a fresh crisis ahead of its governorship primaries. This follows a video in which the former vice-chairman of the party in the state, Isiaka Alimi, was seen cursing anyone who endorsed Senator Sharafadeen Alli for the party's ticket.
Endorsement Controversy
Senator Alli was endorsed by Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadan and a former governor of the state. Additionally, the senator claimed he had been endorsed by President Bola Tinubu to be the APC flagbearer in the 2027 general elections. However, this claim has been debunked by other aspirants, including former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, who resigned from his position to contest for the APC ticket.
Reactions from Nigerians
The video of the former APC chairman has sparked reactions from Nigerians observing the political development in the southwestern state. Below are some of their comments:
Balogun Toheeb Olayinka
He condemned the former APC chairman, stating: "Supporting a gubernatorial candidate who could only secure 30,000+ votes in the Accord Party is, frankly, quite amusing to me. You claimed to represent the progressives, and without support for Senator Teslim Folarin, yet he single-handedly garnered over 200,000 votes. If you continue down this path, you may end up waiting another eight years. Our Oyo progressives come across as supremacists; more concerned with ego than actually winning elections. Perhaps that’s why Asiwaju doesn’t rate Oyo APC."
Adesola Adedeji
He criticised the development: "Are these the confused people we are going to vote for, power hungry people...APC should just forget it in Oyo state, even civil servants won't vote for them."
Mogaji Lummy II
He condemned the development in the Oyo APC: "@Crownprinz3 You see what I was just saying? They all think the rosy cheek man is their problem. But I hope it's not my leader, Sen Adeseun ni man yii n sope o sa kuro ni unity forum? Ki man yii ma ri pipon oju mi o."
Sherrybobo
He knocked the APC: "Your APC party will be in disarray. Evil party that pampers terrorists. A party that doesn’t love the citizens and doesn’t care about their security. Every state in the southwest will not vote for APC again."
Adewale Victor
He projected a crisis with Alli as a consensus candidate: "I know Sharafadeen as the consensus candidate will cause a lot of rift among the Oyo APC."
Background
The video of the former APC vice chairman has gone viral on social media, with many Nigerians expressing their views on the internal conflict within the Oyo APC. The party is expected to hold its governorship primaries soon, and the endorsement controversy has deepened the divisions among party members.
