Ibadan – The Oyo State APC Vanguard has said the massive participation of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Local Government election in the state has put the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a panic mode.
The group, formerly known as Oyo state APC Aspirants Forum, said this in a ‘Situation Room ‘ remark on the election signed by Hon. Akeem Babalola (Group Coordinator), Former State Youth Council Chairman…From Ibadan IBSWLG and Hon. Dejo Adebisi (Communications & Strategy), Former Senior Special Assistant (Media) From Itesiwaju LG.
According to them, “The ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo state under the command of Gov Seyi Makinde must by now be licking its wounds for daring to stage an electoral coup at the LG level for which it got what he never bargained for – frontally confronted by the opposition All Progressives Congress Party candidates across all wards/LGs sending it into panic mode, despite awarding “victory” to itself.
“The party failed to appreciate the fact that APC as a Party with CHANGE mantra was prepared to change the old narrative of opposition Parties boycotting state organized elections for fear of it not being free and fair.
With “audacity of hope” the party- APC refused to be intimidated, it mobilized her members to fully and aggressively participate in the election in order to change the scenario of abnormality becoming normal in which the opposition parties usually withdrew in the twilight of such elections and making the contest a no contest.
This time, however, it was unexpectedly hot, uncertain, and frightening for the lackadaisical candidates of the ruling PDP, who had earlier expected a free ride to “victory” as it used to be in the past.
“APC dragged them out to the campaign field unprepared and without any tangible achievement to woo voters. APC heightened the tempo for them, exposing in the process, their insincerity, deceit, and weaknesses to the electorate, to the extent that if it were to be a free and fair election, it would have turned out a terrible electoral humiliation for the ruling party.
“Peoples Democratic Party therefore became a soft target for the opposition APC, the irrepressible harbingers of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which has, from all indications succeeded in setting the stage for the ruling party’s eventual outsting come 2027.
“PDP candidates were beaten hands down by the opposition APC which harped on the Governor’s earlier non-supportive stand on local government autonomy, that there was nothing like third-tier of government structure in Federations he knew of. He followed this up by stifling development at that level of governance by seizing their allocation and giving them a paltry sum for menial council maintenance, to the displeasure of even the officials running the affairs of the LGs, but they dare not complain; as well as the majority of our people, being the nearest government to them, yet without impact.
“The Governor even boasted at a public gathering that the PDP would grab all the chairmanship and councilorship seats sending dangerous signals to all the top APC elected stakeholders imputing that they have suddenly become so unpopular and can not win councilorship seats in their respective LGs, talkless of Chairmanship! Laughable indeed.
“The APC latched on these issues and was able to convince the voters that the ruling party in the state which came to power through an insinuation of protest votes from opposition parties’ angry members, now known as “votes of anger”, is now behaving true to type for second-term Governors in the state.
“The party thereafter became so resolute in its determination to send powerful counter signals with its massive participation in the local government election, not minding the antics of the ruling party which as predicted, fatally disenfranchised members of the opposition parties with no voting in most parts of the state, particularly in the opposition strongholds, late arrival of personnel and short-supplied materials, voter intimidation and all sorts of manipulations to arrive at a predetermined outcome.
“Yes, PDP claimed “victory” at the end of it all, however, it’s almost certain that the pyrrhic victory may not subsist beyond 2027.
“The verdict, in whatever form you may want to look at it, is equally shared by the opposition APC which has rediscovered itself, re-energized, and more united as evidenced by the unprecedented financial and moral support extended to all APC candidates by almost all Leaders of the party from across the geopolitical zones of the state, thus firming up and putting the party in super combat and winning mode to rout the ruling PDP from Oyo state come 2027.”
