By Sunday Ameh
The Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate and Senator representing Osun West, Olalere Oyewumi, has accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State of political inexperience, alleging that their actions created a situation where the state almost had two governors.
Oyewumi made the allegation while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he assessed the outcome of the August 15 governorship election and the political developments surrounding the poll.
The senator alleged that some APC leaders repeatedly invoked President Bola Tinubu’s name while attempting to influence political and security decisions in the state.
“What is happening now confirms what we have been saying during the pre-election matter, that people are just dropping Mr President’s name to perpetrate illegality to cause so much confusion in the electoral space in Osun State,” he said.
Oyewumi specifically accused former Osun governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of behaving as though he remained in charge of the state.
“They go to the police and give instructions. It’s like we are having two governors in Osun State. Oyetola was behaving like a city governor. The governor holds a security meeting and they decide to do something. Oyetola recalls the CP and they decide to do another thing,” he alleged.
The senator’s comments came against the backdrop of allegations made by Governor Ademola Adeleke before the election concerning the freezing of Osun State Government’s accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Adeleke had accused Oyetola of using federal influence to pressure the anti-graft agency, an allegation Oyetola and the APC have disputed.
Oyewumi said the Adeleke administration deliberately avoided confrontation despite what he described as attempts to create tension ahead of the election.
“We decided to keep calm. We decided to keep calm because we understand this game. It’s just to confuse the people and mislead them, embarrass them, harass them and force them to submission,” he said.
According to him, the administration instead focused on mobilising voters and reminding them of their constitutional power to determine the outcome of the election.
He said the result of the election showed that attempts to intimidate or pressure Osun voters had failed.
The senator was also critical of the APC leadership in the state, describing its members as inexperienced compared with previous political leaders in the party.
“The APC in Osun State is a special breed of APC. They are different from other APCs that you see in other places. They are very, very terrible people. But they don’t understand the game. They are too young in politics,” Oyewumi said.
He argued that the departure of experienced politicians, including former governor Rauf Aregbesola and former Deputy National Chairman of the APC, Iyiola Omisore, had weakened the party’s strategic capacity in the state.
“When people like Aregbesola have left, Omisore has left them, all the people that are giving them the AC they throw them away. The remaining people are politically babies,” he said.
Oyewumi further accused the APC leadership of relying excessively on Tinubu’s name instead of building its own political structure and engaging directly with the people.
“The only thing they understand is to drop Mr President’s name and embarrass people and shoot gun around and arrest people and say, go and kill, this and that,” he alleged.
The senator, however, said Osun voters had demonstrated sufficient political maturity to resist such tactics.
“The people of Osun State are more mature than that,” he said.
Oyewumi also suggested that President Tinubu was beginning to distinguish between genuine political support and individuals allegedly using his name for personal or partisan interests.
“But now, the President is now getting to know their true actions. Their true actions. So that’s why you see Mr President taking his own separate line now. From their own line,” he said.
On the 2027 presidential election, Oyewumi maintained that Tinubu’s support base would extend beyond the APC, pointing to opposition politicians and governors who have expressed support for the President.
He cited FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo and Abia State Governor Alex Otti as examples of politicians outside the APC who could support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“The PDP now and the National Head of PDP, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike is supporting Mr President. The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Soludo, is supporting Mr President. The government of Abia State, Alex Otti is supporting Mr President. Did you see any crisis in them?” he asked.
Oyewumi said different political groups could operate within a broader structure supporting Tinubu without necessarily abandoning their existing political identities.
He added that the emerging political structure would accommodate youth, women and other support groups ahead of the 2027 election.
The senator urged politicians to respect voters and focus on convincing citizens through policies, performance and effective mobilisation rather than intimidation.
His comments come as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, following Governor Adeleke’s victory over the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in the August 15 Osun governorship election. Adeleke secured a second term after polling 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes.
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