Tension is brewing within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State over a purported list of "consensus" candidates for future elections. The list, which surfaced over the weekend, allegedly contains names of candidates selected for governorship, deputy governorship, senatorial, and House of Representatives positions. Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South Senatorial District, has been named as the party's gubernatorial candidate. Alli, an Ibadan indigene, previously served as Secretary to the Oyo State Government.
The list also includes Mr Soji Adedeji, a younger brother of the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacchaeus Adedeji, as the deputy governorship candidate. A member of the House of Representatives, Aderemi Oseni, is reportedly pencilled down for Oyo South Senatorial District. Yunus Akintunde is listed to re-contest for the Oyo Central Senatorial seat, while a former Head of Service under ex-governor Abiola Ajimobi, Mrs Hannah Ogunrsan, is listed for Oyo North. Several names are reportedly included for the House of Representatives, covering constituencies across Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibarapa, and Oke-Ogun zones.
However, many aspirants who have reportedly invested heavily in their political ambitions have expressed dissatisfaction with the list. Some aggrieved party members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have described the development as unsettling, warning that it could deepen divisions within the party. They insist that the alleged imposition of candidates undermines internal democracy and fairness.
The emergence of a purported list of "consensus" candidates for the APC in Oyo State raises serious questions about the party's internal democracy and fairness. By allegedly imposing candidates, the party leadership may be undermining the very principles of democracy it claims to uphold. The list, which includes several high-profile names, has sparked widespread discontent among party members, who feel their aspirations are being disregarded. The party's assurance that no official list of candidates exists at this stage may ring hollow to those who have invested heavily in their political ambitions. The APC must take concrete steps to address these concerns and ensure that the interests of all members are protected.
