By Peace Udugba
Senate Deputy Minority Leader accuses party leaders of creating rival power centres, says Osun voters rejected intimidation ahead of the August 15 governorship election
The Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate and Senator representing Osun West, Olalere Oyewumi, has criticised the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, describing its members as politically inexperienced and accusing them of exploiting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name to create confusion in the state.
Oyewumi made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
The senator was assessing the outcome of the August 15 Osun governorship election and the political realignment ahead of the 2027 general election.
He alleged that the activities of some APC leaders before the election created a situation where Osun appeared to have two competing centres of authority.
According to him, conflicting directives involving the state government and security agencies contributed to the tension surrounding the election.
“What is happening now confirms what we have been saying during the pre-election matter, that people are just dropping Mr. President’s name to perpetrate illegality to cause so much confusion in the electoral space in Osun State.”
Oyewumi further alleged that some political actors were using their relationship with President Tinubu to influence security decisions in the state.
“They go to the police and give instructions. It’s like we are having two governors in Osun State. Oyetola was behaving like a city governor. The governor holds a security meeting and they decide to do something. Oyetola recalls the CP and they decide to do another thing.”
The allegations came days after the August 15 governorship election, during which Governor Ademola Adeleke accused his predecessor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of using alleged “federal might” to influence the freezing of the state government’s accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Speaking during an Arise News Town Hall debate in Osogbo, Adeleke alleged that Oyetola had invoked President Tinubu’s name in connection with the EFCC action.
Adeleke, however, said President Tinubu later contacted him directly to express embarrassment over the incident. Following the intervention, the governor said he directed the state Attorney-General to withdraw the pending legal action against the EFCC.
Adeleke Government Chose Restraint, Says Oyewumi
Oyewumi said the Adeleke administration deliberately avoided confrontation despite what he described as attempts to create tension before the election.
“We decided to keep calm because we understand this game. It’s just to confuse the people and mislead them, embarrass them, harass them and force them to submission.”
He said the campaign instead focused on mobilising voters and reminding them that the power to determine the outcome of the election belonged to the electorate.
“So instead of joining them to that, we went to talk to the people and let them know that their fate is in their hands.”
According to the senator, the election result demonstrated that attempts to intimidate or politically pressure Osun voters failed.
He said the people of the state were politically sophisticated and could not easily be influenced by tactics aimed at manipulating their choices.
‘Osun APC Leaders Are Politically Inexperienced’
Oyewumi was particularly critical of the APC leadership in Osun State, saying the party had become different from APC structures in other parts of the country.
“The APC in Osun State is a special breed of APC. They are different from other APCs that you see in other places. They are very, very terrible people. But they don’t understand the game. They are too young in politics.”
He argued that the party had lost experienced political figures who previously contributed to its strategic direction.
“When people like Aregbesola have left, Omisore has left them, all the people that are giving them the AC they throw them away. The remaining people are politically babies.”
The senator accused the Osun APC leadership of relying excessively on President Tinubu’s name rather than developing its own political strategy and engaging voters.
“The only thing they understand is to drop Mr. President’s name and embarrass people and shoot gun around and arrest people and say, go and kill, this and that.”
He maintained that Osun voters were more politically mature than their opponents assumed.
“The people of Osun State are more mature than that.”
Oyewumi: Tinubu Now Aware of Political Activities in Osun
Oyewumi also suggested that President Tinubu was becoming increasingly aware of what he described as the activities of political actors who had allegedly used his name and access to the Presidency to create confusion in Osun State.
“But now, the President is now getting to know their true actions. Their true actions. So that’s why you see Mr. President taking his own separate line now. From their own line.”
His comments point to a potential political realignment ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with some groups supporting Tinubu outside the formal structure of the Osun APC.
Oyewumi stressed that support for Tinubu did not necessarily require political actors to operate directly under the APC’s state structure.
“There are so many doors that lead to the Presidency. We have our own line. We do our own work. There is no crisis at all.”
Wike, Soludo, Otti Support Shows Wider Tinubu Coalition — Oyewumi
The senator cited the support of politicians from outside the APC, including FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, as evidence that Tinubu’s 2027 support base could extend beyond the APC.
“The PDP now and the National Head of PDP, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike is supporting Mr. President. Is it not? The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Soludo, is supporting Mr. President. The government of Abia State, Alex Otti is supporting Mr. President. Did you see any crisis in them?”
Oyewumi said the President’s emerging campaign structure would accommodate different political groups and organisations working towards the same objective.
He noted that the structure would include youth and women’s groups as part of a broader mobilisation effort for the 2027 election.
“I would like to see the campaign organogram incorporate all sorts of groups. And the plan is to get the result in January.”
The senator said the Osun governorship election had also demonstrated the importance of respecting voters and avoiding political tactics capable of undermining public confidence in the democratic process.
He urged political parties to focus on convincing citizens through performance, policies and effective mobilisation rather than intimidation.
Oyewumi said attention should now shift from the governorship contest to governance and the 2027 presidential election, where he expects different political groups to work together in support of President Tinubu.
