The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has intensified efforts to resolve internal disagreements ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, receiving the report of the state reconciliation committee in Ibadan.
However, the meeting was attended by the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, but conspicuously lacked some prominent aggrieved aspirants, including former governor and Senator Teslim Folarin, Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu, Akeem Agbaje, Hakeem Alao and former deputy governor Rauf Olaniyan.
The reconciliation meeting was convened to address grievances arising from the party’s governorship primary and reposition the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking after the meeting, Yilwatda described reconciliation as an ongoing process, stressing that unity among party members would be crucial to the APC’s bid to reclaim Oyo State from the ruling party.
He said the disagreements should be treated as an internal family matter and expressed optimism that they would be resolved through dialogue.
Yilwatda said the party leadership was satisfied with the progress made so far, but noted that the reconciliation process had not been concluded.
He assured aggrieved members that their concerns would be considered and addressed, adding that the exercise was aimed at rebuilding trust, resolving grievances and strengthening the party ahead of the elections.
Earlier, the chairman of the Oyo APC Reconciliation Committee, Femi Lanlehin, said the committee had met with all the aggrieved governorship aspirants and submitted its findings to the national chairman.
Lanlehin said the party was making progress in its reconciliation efforts, noting that the aspirants had expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the governorship primary.
He disclosed that the APC leadership was also planning to meet with President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to resolve the crisis and prevent the disagreements from weakening the party’s chances in 2027.
Lanlehin said the APC could not afford to lose Oyo State to the opposition and expressed confidence that the party would win all elective positions in the state in 2027.
On the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, Yilwatda said the APC had yet to adopt an official position, explaining that the National Working Committee would review the outcome with the party’s candidate and other stakeholders before taking a decision.
He, however, described the election as a learning experience and called for political maturity and sportsmanship among party members.