Asanike, APC Stalwarts Worry About Party’s Fate in Oyo After Constituency Election Loss

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State is facing internal backlash following its loss in the recent off-cycle Federal Constituency election held in Ibadan on Saturday. The loss has generated torrents of blames, controversies and disaffection among party stalwarts including supporters of the party.

Reacting online to the loss of his party, APC, Prince Kola Asanike critically examined the graphics of the party’s loss and he described the incident as “devastating.”

He said, (as published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC) that “…the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate polled 18,530 votes, while APC managed only 8,266 votes, a sharp fall from the party’s strong performance in 2019 and 2023.”

“In 2019, APC’s Olaide Akinremi had secured 17,048 votes against PDP’s 16,237 (a margin of just 811). In 2023, Akinremi improved to 21,135 votes, defeating PDP’s Lanre Sarumi who polled 16,060 (margin 5,075).”

“By contrast,” Asanike noted further, “Saturday’s election showed a 61% decline in APC’s votes since 2023, while PDP’s performance improved by about 15% and has remained consistent at 16,000 plus votes votes since 2019. You can see now.”

Asanike, expressed his disappointment and concern over the party’s poor performance which he described as “devastating.”

“The outcome of the election was bad, devastating and disturbing that APC could not win a single local government federal constituency election. This is gross and like I said earlier, in 2023, we had over 21,000 votes, now we are struggling with barely 8,000.
Meanwhile, PDP has kept their base of 16,000 to 18,000 votes consistently for three elections. This is a shame,” Asanike said in an online interview.

“But I’m not surprised, after all. In all ways, it shows the extent to which APC has been degraded by ambitious elements in the state.”

Asanike attributed the party’s loss to the influence of unethical elements within the party, citing the example of some aspirants who have been directing the party in an unorthodox manner.

“How can some unethical elements who are not known for public relevance come around now into the party and assert themselves as leaders? Is this the way we met the party in its winning days?”

He added that the defeat was more humiliating because APC lost across all wards in Ibadan North Federal Constituency. PDP dominated with 18,530 votes to APC’s 8,266, winning in all 12 wards:

Ward 1: PDP 1,167 – APC 401
Ward 2: PDP 1,481 – APC 657
Ward 3: PDP 2,354 – APC 1,092
Ward 4: PDP 2,188 – APC 712
Ward 5: PDP 1,580 – APC 1,047
Ward 6: PDP 1,293 – APC 538
Ward 7: PDP 1,318 – APC 529
Ward 8: PDP 2,339 – APC 899
Ward 9: PDP 958 – APC 472
Ward 10: PDP 782 – APC 360
Ward 11: PDP 977 – APC 411
Ward 12: PDP 2,093 – APC 1,148

“It is obvious from the result that any house that loses leadership value cannot stand and is heading for devastation. This is what is happening to APC and unless we go back to the old order that respects leadership hierarchy, the party may find it difficult to move ahead,” Asanike warned.

“A situation where everyone who is aspiring for a post has considered himself as the leader of the party is a wrong signal for the fate of such a party. We need to go back and examine things again.”

“In doing this, the present exco members in the state must be dissolved to give way for a fresh and promising beginning which we all know. The new exco will work with the leadership architecture to reconvene the party before the end of the year.”

“This will involve reaching out to the bona-fide party members who have left the party for any reason. We need them all to come back and restructure the APC.”

“We need the tradition of our founding fathers to stimulate victory for the party in the next election,” Asanike said.

He called on the party’s leaders to reorganize and return to the party’s core values of leadership politics, which emphasize decency, justice, probity, and integrity.

“Unless we go back to the real culture of the Progressives in which sense of decency, justice, probity, and integrity govern democratic processes to produce candidates, this party is in danger.”

To achieve this, Asanike suggested that veteran party members from Ibadan, including Chief Iyiola Oladokun, Chief Moses Adeyemo, Chief Kunle Sanda, Alh. Abu Gbadamosi, Barr Niyi Akintola and others, should come together to rebuild the party’s leadership strength.

He also urged other strong party members, such as Alh. Bolaji Kareem, Hon. Alimi, Hon. Adeyemo and Hon. Peter Odetomi and others to reach out to those who have left the party and bring them back.

“Our leaders from Ibadanland, Oke-Ogun, Oyo, Ogbomoso and Ibarapa should assemble to clean the mess from the party,” Asanike stressed.

“They should be on the lookout for those who have left the party. They should reach out to them and bring them back.”
By returning to its core values and rebuilding its leadership, Asanike believes the APC can regain its strength and competitiveness in Oyo State.

Other APC supporters, including Alh. Habib Idowu Balogun and Mr. Jibola Akinola, also expressed their disappointment and frustration with the party’s leadership. Balogun blamed the party’s loss on the unethical manner in which some aspirants, including Chief Bayo Adelabu and Sen. Teslim Folarin, have been directing the party. Akinola on his part faulted Adelabu’s leadership claim, advising him to step aside for fresh aspirants.