Three chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who have served at different times as lawmakers in the Osun State House of Assembly, have resigned their membership from the party.
The lawmakers—Lekan Oyediran, Aleem Bakare, and Folorunso Oladoyin—submitted their resignations via letters addressed to the local government chairmen of the party. The resignations took place between June 1 and 2. While Bakare cited a lack of internal democracy as his reason for leaving the APC, the other two chieftains did not specify their reasons in their letters.
Investigations by The PUNCH revealed that Oyediran represented the Odo Otin State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003, while Aleem Bakare served as the representative for Ejigbo State Constituency from 2003 to 2007. Folorunso Oladoyin represented the Ife South State Constituency between 2011 and 2019 and later served as the State Commissioner for Education during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola until the government exited office on November 26, 2022. Bakare also held the position of Special Adviser to the governor on Land Matters in Oyetola’s administration.
All three former lawmakers are linked to the ex-National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who has distanced himself from the APC since the conclusion of the governorship primary in December 2025.
In a conversation with The PUNCH regarding the recent developments, Jamiu Olawumi, spokesperson for the Senator Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation, acknowledged that the three former lawmakers were close allies of Omisore. However, Olawumi clarified that the ex-Osun State Deputy Governor did not instruct them to leave the APC, suggesting that they made the decision based on their own political futures.
He dismissed speculations that Omisore might soon depart from the APC, stating, “The anxiety is unfounded and baseless. We support Iyiola Omisore in his governorship ambition. We have recognised his capacity and capability, which is why we encouraged him to contest.
“If the outcome of the contest results in our strongest defence line being removed, those who cannot withstand the shock may choose to leave the party and join the winning camp. However, this does not mean Omisore is leaving the party, as he is not our breadwinner; we are political associates.”
Olawumi further noted that those who left the party were also aligned with Oyetola, highlighting that Oladoyin was a Commissioner for Education under Oyetola’s administration. He emphasised that the resignations were not about Omisore but rather reflected the individuals’ convictions that the party had failed to fulfil their aspirations.
In response, Osun APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi stated that the party was not in a state of panic, asserting that those who left were exercising their freedom of association. He also mentioned that the Osun APC had welcomed more prominent figures from the Peoples Democratic Party than the number of those who chose to leave, urging members to remain focused and work diligently for future electoral success.
Olabisi remarked, “In a democracy, there is freedom of exit and entry into politics, allowing individuals to exercise their fundamental rights to association at any time. If people are making a fuss over the resignation of these three individuals, can they equate them with two senators—Fadahunsi and Ajagunla—and three representatives who joined our party alongside a member of the PDP’s trustee, Shuaib Oyedokun?
“What about Prince Dotun Babayemi, Kayode Oduoye, and many others? We are not panicking in any way. They are simply exercising their freedom of association, and we cannot deny them that right.”
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