President Bola Tinubu on Monday night hosted about 76 All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from Osun State at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, in an emergency meeting called to address widening discontent within the party ahead of the August 15 governorship election, OBSERVERS TIMES report .
Sources said the meeting followed an intelligence report from National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, which warned that several APC leaders in Osun were unhappy and felt sidelined in party affairs, including the ongoing campaign. Those who attended were flown to Abuja on chartered flights arranged from Ibadan and Lagos and returned to the state on Tuesday morning, the sources said.
A former local government chairman who spoke on condition of anonymity to PUNCH Newspaper listed some attendees as former House of Representatives Speaker Olubunmi Ete; former Osun Assembly Speakers Mojeed Alabi, Adejare Bello and Wale Afolabi; and party figures including Shuaib Oyedokun, Poju Odusola and Bode Olanipekun. The Presidency is said to have contacted APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru to organise and lead the delegation.
Participants told our correspondents the meeting was frank and at times combative, with several leaders complaining they had been excluded from party decision‑making and federal appointments in the state — appointments they say have favoured the camp of Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
“One of the complaints was that federal appointees from Osun largely belong to Oyetola’s camp while other party members have been left with nothing,” a former lawmaker who attended said on condition of anonymity. “We told the President the truth about how the party is being run in Osun.”
President Tinubu, according to attendees, urged unity and directed members to work for the victory of the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. Quoting the President, one participant said Tinubu warned: “You shouldn’t throw away the bathwater with the baby. The party would be at the receiving end if the APC loses the next election.” He reportedly added that he was disappointed by the party’s losses in 2022 and 2023 and emphasised that the party — not an individual — suffered in those defeats.
Another attendee said Tinubu assured them that federal appointments could be used to accommodate stakeholders from Osun should the need arise, and urged them to “go and unite and deliver Osun.”
Attempts to reach National Secretary Ajibola Basiru for comment were unsuccessful. Basiru did not answer calls or messages. Kola Olabisi, Director of Media and Publicity for the Osun APC, confirmed the meeting but declined further comment, saying only: “Yes, I am aware. That is all I can say.”
A loyalist of the national secretary told our correspondents Basiru organised the trip and was motivated by a desire to see the party win. “Basiru facilitated it because he is committed to ensuring that the party wins the coming election,” the source said, adding that Basiru has been active in grassroots campaigning for the APC candidate.
Allegations of hacking, party denial
Separately, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Accord Party accused the APC of importing and harbouring IT operatives in a hotel in Osogbo with the intention of compromising the digital systems of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The party’s state chairman, Victor Akande, called on security agencies to raid the alleged operation and on INEC to strengthen its digital defences.
“The hackers were brought in from Lagos and Abuja, and they have set up an operational centre at the hotel,” the statement said, alleging plans to input false results into INEC’s server. The Accord Party urged citizens and security agencies to resist any attempt to manipulate the election.
The Osun APC dismissed the allegation as “false and baseless.” Kola Olabisi told OBSERVERS TIMES the party did not need to rig the election and urged the public to disregard the claim, saying the Accord Party was motivated by fear of defeat and should report any evidence to the police.
The developments come nine days before voters go to the polls in Osun, in a contest that national and state actors say is pivotal for party cohesion and future federal‑state relations. Attempts to obtain comment from the NSA’s office were not successful by press time.
