The All Progressives Congress has criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, claiming he has failed in all aspects of governance.

“It has been a failure in every aspect. The government lacks focus, and the leadership structure is unclear,” said the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru.

However, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party and a leader of the party in Osun State, Diran Odeyemi, disputed Basiru’s remarks, stating that Adeleke’s accomplishments in the state were evident even to the blind.

Odeyemi also stated that Adeleke had no interest in joining the APC and suggested that Basiru was still grappling with the defeat the APC suffered at the hands of the PDP in 2018.

Basiru, who is an aspirant vying for the APC ticket in the 2026 governorship election in the state, insisted that Adeleke’s performance wasn’t impressive.

He said, “There are serious issues, particularly in education and health. For example, thousands of teachers were sacked without replacements, causing significant disruption in schools. The health sector is also struggling, with no replacements for those sacked, and the health insurance scheme has collapsed.

Security in the state is also deteriorating, with communal clashes and poorly planned infrastructure projects damaging local economies. Our people are tired of the Osun government as currently led by Adeleke. And they will reject him.”

When asked if Adeleke is planning to join the APC ahead of the 2026 governorship election, Basiru stated that he was not aware of such move.

“I don’t know those calling on Adeleke to join APC, and certainly I am not one of them. As far as I know, he has not formally approached us about joining the APC. If that changes, we will address it then,” he stated.

In response, Odeyemi stated that the APC scribe was out of touch with reality and the people of Osun.

The PDP leader emphasised that Adeleke defeated the APC in 2018 and will do so again in 2026, further asserting that he has no reason to join the ruling party.

He said, “Ajibola Basiru is still suffering from the defeat he suffered in Osun, especially in Osogbo and Olorunda local government area where he hails from. He failed woefully having boasted to the APC that he would deliver Osogbo, particularly Olorundan, where the largest voting bloc in Osun comes from. But clearly, he’s still stuck in that same mindset.

“Now he wants to contest for the governorship under the APC. He thinks disparaging Adeleke will help him secure the ticket. But he has already lost touch with the people and the reality in Osun state.

“No one can deny all the infrastructural changes and developments that have taken place across Osun under the current leadership. Even in Osogbo, his hometown, no one can deny the transformation. In every ward, not just local governments, development has reached all corners. There’s no ward in Osun State that hasn’t been impacted positively.

“If Ajibola Basiru claims he hasn’t seen these changes, it’s probably because he spends all his time in Abuja as a party secretary. If he comes home now, he might not even recognize his own street—the city has changed.”

Odeyemi clarified that Adeleke has no plans to join the APC, accusing members of the ruling party of spreading the rumors.

He stated, “The governor is not even interested in joining the APC. We are surprised they are even discussing it. What’s the point of inviting someone to a party they are not interested in, especially when the person had defeated that party in the past.

“What is so special about the APC that anyone would want to join it now? It’s not even a performing government. They should know that relying on federal backing won’t work in Osun.

The people here know that Governor Adeleke is a performing leader, and they want capable people to continue leading. So, there’s no cause for concern. Any speculation or propaganda about Adeleke joining the APC is unfounded. There’s no reason or justification for such a move.”

Crisis is brewing within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the July 12 local government elections, as many chairmanship aspirants and party leaders have kicked against what they described as a plot to impose candidates.

The aggrieved members and leaders, drawn from various local government areas and local council development areas, accused key figures within the party of attempting to sideline grassroots democracy by handpicking candidates rather than allowing a level playing field.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission had, in April, released the timetable and guidelines for the commencement of the electoral process for the 57 council chairmanship seats and 376 councillorship positions spread across the state’s 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

The announcement came as the tenure of the current local council officials is set to end in July.

The PUNCH reported that the party pushed for the adoption of consensus in selecting candidates for the party’s council primaries, scheduled for Saturday (today).

Following the party’s decision, Saturday PUNCH gathered that party leaders in various LGAs set up internal committees to screen aspirants and streamline those to be adopted as consensus candidates.

However, the move has sparked outrage among some aspirants and party members, who allege that the process was being used to impose preferred candidates rather than allowing for fair competition.

The situation is said to have led to protests in some local councils, with party members alleging subversion of the democratic process.

In Ojokoro LCDA, a group of party leaders, under the auspices of Ojokoro Apex Council, reportedly screened three chairmanship aspirants, out of which one Mobolaji Sanusi, emerged as the consensus candidate.

Sanusi’s emergence was announced in a letter signed by former members of the House of Representatives, Ipoola Omisore and Adisa Owolabi, and addressed to the state APC chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.

Attached to the letter was the signature page of the consensus resolution, showing the names of the party leaders and their signatures.

The signatories included the incumbent chairman of the LCDA, Idowu Tijani.

However, trouble started a few days later when one Rosiji Yemisi emerged as a chairmanship candidate from another screening conducted by a different group of party leaders.

A member of the group, who spoke with one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, accused the apex council of attempting to impose a “foreigner backed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa”, on them as their chairmanship candidate.

He warned that imposing an outsider with no electoral history in Ojokoro would have negative consequences.

Protests also erupted in Yaba LCDA over an alleged plot to impose one Babatunde Ojo as the chairmanship candidate of the party.

A coalition of concerned landlords, electorates, and political stakeholders in the LCDA raised the alarm over a plot to replace the name of the aspirant who emerged top during the screening exercise with that of Ojo.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that another aspirant, William Babatunde, scored 85 per cent to emerge top while Ojo polled 65 per cent and came 11th out of the 14 aspirants screened.

The coalition, led by Amoo Ismail, petitioned the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, urging her and the President to intervene and prevent what they described as a repeat of past political imposition that hindered development in the area.

“It is important to emphasise that we have credible leaders within our community who are capable of selecting the most qualified candidate from the broad pool of aspirants. It is simply unjust and disheartening to the political stakeholders in the local government that a single individual continues to unilaterally impose a chairmanship candidate upon us.

“In light of this, we humbly implore Your Excellency, and His Excellency the President, to kindly intervene and consider alternative options that will better serve the interests of our community.

“A more inclusive and consultative approach, one that values the voices of grassroots mobilisers and other key stakeholders, will likely yield a more favourable outcome for both the local government and our great party,” the coalition said.

An aide to one of the aspirants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused the party leaders in the LCDA of using the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify the imposition of candidates.

“They are going around telling us that the President has given the directive on who should emerge. This is false and disrespectful to the President, who is known to support internal democracy,” he said.

Lamenting the adoption of the consensus method, Opeyemi Ahmed, the media aide to the outgoing Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Dele Osinowo, accused some party leaders of imposition by single-handedly picking their preferred candidates.

Ahmed, in a now-deleted post on Facebook, said the situation, if not checked, might cost Tinubu his re-election bid.

“The party is not sincere with its guidelines; from direct to indirect to consensus. We can do better. Let’s give a sense of belonging to everyone. Tinubu needs to win Lagos, but if a few are writing names at the top and using fake strategy to call for consensus at the bottom, then Tinubu should be ready to lose come 2027,” Ahmed said.

Speaking on the issue, a chieftain of the party, Fouad Oki, issued a stern warning to party leaders, urging them to embrace internal democracy or risk electoral backlash.

He issued the warning in an open letter titled, “Lagos APC’s crisis of Democracy: Internal strife and the risk to President Tinubu’s stronghold”.

“The Lagos APC must choose democracy over cliques. If party managers still believe they know better than voters, permit me to remind you of the stakes: disenfranchised grassroots can sabotage not only council polls, but also general elections to come. Unity forged under injustice is brittle; lasting strength requires inclusivity,” he warned.

He added that the APC could either learn from previous political missteps and legal precedents in Lagos or repeat them and suffer the consequences.

“Let this op-ed be a rallying cry within the party: abandon the politics of imposition, honour the rights of members, and give Lagosians a real voice. Failing that, our party risks losing Lagos not to an opposition challenger, but to its own internal discord – a disaster that would echo all the way to 2027,” Oki concluded.

Reacting to the allegations, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, dismissed claims of imposition, insisting that the party had not concluded its primary processes and that consensus remained a legitimate and constitutionally recognised mechanism.

He noted that consensus had always worked for the party and helped manage post-primary fallout.

Oladejo said, “We have not concluded the process of the primaries, which will be held on Saturday. For those who have been able to reach consensus, there will be affirmation, but for those who have not reached consensus, their delegates will decide who their preferred candidates will be in their respective local governments.

“If we have not concluded the process, nobody can allege imposition. Then, where there is consensus, their leaders will need to sign off to indicate that they all agreed on a particular candidate. And when an aspirant is not happy, he can insist on going to the primary and, if he wins, good luck.

“Nobody is imposing anything on anybody; we cherish internal democracy in our party, and we have always strived on all of this. So, you cannot allege an imposition, even when the process has not been completed.”

Speaking on the reason for the party adopting consensus, he said, “As a party, we see ourselves as members of the same family. Consensus has always been easier to manage, whatever fallout might arise from the process of electing candidates for elections. So, consensus, over time, has worked for us and is recognised by our constitution.

“We have an internal mechanism for resolving conflicts or disagreements, and that machinery will be ignited to resolve whatever grey areas arise as a fallout of the primaries. I can assure you that we will take care of it as we have always done.”

In a major political development likely to reshape Nigeria’s northern political landscape, three serving senators from Kebbi State have officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The high-profile defections follow a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

This move is widely seen as a significant setback for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose enduring influence in the North faces renewed scrutiny. Analysts have described the development as a strategic victory for the APC, which is actively reinforcing its dominance in preparation for upcoming electoral contests.

The senators who abandoned the PDP are:
Senator Adamu Aliero – Representing Kebbi Central
Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi – Representing Kebbi North
Senator Garba Musa Maidoki – Representing Kebbi South

They were formally welcomed into the APC by the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, during a ceremony that highlighted the significance of their departure from the opposition.

The high-stakes meeting that precipitated the defections was attended by several northern political heavyweights, including:

Dr. Nasir Idris, Governor of Kebbi State
Ahmad Aliyu, Governor of Sokoto State
Senator Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning

The presence of these key figures underscores the coordinated nature of the realignment and its implications for the power dynamics in Northern Nigeria.

Political observers have noted that this wave of defections is not an isolated event but part of a broader strategy to weaken the PDP’s base in the North. The loss of all three senators from Kebbi State not only reduces the party’s numerical strength in the National Assembly but also strikes a psychological blow at its northern structure.

“This isn’t just about Kebbi,” said Kaduna-based political analyst Musa Aliyu. “This is the disintegration of a once-solid northern bloc that consistently rallied behind Atiku Abubakar. It sends a message of vulnerability at a critical time.”

Atiku Abubakar, who has contested multiple presidential elections and remains one of the PDP’s most prominent figures, faces increased uncertainty regarding his political future. The defections cast doubt on his ability to rally the North as he has in previous election cycles, especially amid persistent leadership wrangling within the party.

The PDP’s diminishing influence in the Northwest geopolitical zone—a crucial battleground in national elections—could jeopardize its prospects unless urgent structural reforms and reconciliation efforts are made.

The APC continues to strengthen its grip on key regions and legislative bodies. With the addition of these three senators, the ruling party inches closer to achieving a more commanding majority in the Senate, which could smooth the passage of its policy agenda and legislative initiatives.

Furthermore, the defections are viewed as part of President Tinubu’s broader political strategy to stabilize his administration, reduce opposition resistance, and build a more cohesive governance platform heading into the midterm and 2027 general elections.

Friday’s events may be an early indicator of a broader political realignment in the North. With Atiku’s influence facing erosion and the PDP losing critical ground, the APC is positioning itself to dictate the narrative leading into the next electoral cycle.

Whether this shift will lead to a long-term transformation in voter loyalty and party structure remains to be seen. However, the significance of losing three sitting senators from a single state cannot be overstated.

The defection of Senators Aliero, Abdullahi, and Maidoki marks one of the most dramatic political shifts in the current democratic cycle. As Nigeria’s political terrain continues to evolve, the PDP must now contend with growing fragmentation in its northern base, while the APC capitalizes on its expanding reach and strategic positioning.