The Oyo All Progressives Congress (APC) Peace Advocates have issued a “clarion call” for the immediate rescue of the party in Oyo State following what they described as a “crushing defeat” in the recent by-election for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency.
The election, held on Saturday, August 16, 2025, to fill the seat vacated by the late Hon. Olayide Akinremi, saw the APC candidate lose to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a wide margin.
In a press statement signed by the group’s leadership, the Peace Advocates revealed the official results from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which showed the PDP candidate garnering 18,404 votes against the APC candidate’s 8,312. The group noted that the defeat was comprehensive, with the party losing in all 12 wards of the constituency.
The Peace Advocates attributed the loss to a resurgence of the internal conflicts that they believe led to the party’s defeat in the 2023 gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections. They asserted that while the party’s platform is strong, its internal division is its greatest weakness.
“The processes that produced the Candidate of the APC for the By-election in Ibadan North was rancorous and devoid of transparency,” the statement read. “There were also no timely and genuine efforts to appeal to the Candidates who purchased nomination forms for the Primary but who felt aggrieved by the process… Oyo APC went to the August 16 By-election as a divided House once again, just like 2023.”
The group, which formed to promote peace and unity within the party, stated that they had engaged in extensive consultations with various party stakeholders, including the state and expanded executive committees, as well as elders and leaders across different zones. They noted that their efforts to foster reconciliation ahead of the by-election were “impeded by certain factors.”
The Oyo APC Peace Advocates emphasized that the solution lies in returning the party to its members through transparent, free, and fair processes. They dismissed the notion that external influences, such as the perceived support of Governor Seyi Makinde, were responsible for the party’s victories in the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections. As proof, they cited the APC’s victory in a Saki re-run election, where internal stakeholders were united behind a single candidate.
The group is now urging the APC’s national headquarters, elders, leaders, and critical stakeholders in Abuja to support their advocacy for true reconciliation. They called for a focus on building a united party from the grassroots up, beginning with the December 2025 Congresses.
“It will be unhealthy and counter-productive to continue to build the Party around individuals who are interested in contesting for elective positions in a state like Oyo where the APC is in the opposition,” the statement concluded. “Let us give the Party back to the people.”
The press statement was signed by eleven prominent members of the group, including Prince Niran Adeyoju SDM, Chief Dr. Akin Onigbinde, SAN, Chief Wale Ohu, Dr. Mrs. Peju Esan, Prince Gbade Lana, Alhaji Raji Rasaki, Engr. Wale Adeoye, Hon. Afeez Bolaji Repete, Hon. Bimbo Kolade, Hon. Hazmat Ogunsola, and Alhaji Haruna Adebayo.
