The recent diatribe authored by Samson Owoyokun, a member of Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru’s (SRJ) “Think Tank,” is as crude as it is misinformed. In his haste to disparage members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Osun West advocating for zoning the gubernatorial ticket to their district, Owoyokun has done nothing but reveal his lack of decorum and an astonishing disregard for party unity.
First, it is important to address the insults hurled at APC members from Osun West. Calling their legitimate advocacy for zoning a “half-baked sentiment of political dividers” is not only disrespectful but also untrue. Advocates for zoning in Osun West have been consistently decent, respectful, diligent, and careful in their choice of words. They have avoided combative rhetoric or abusive language, unlike Owoyokun, whose unprovoked vitriol does nothing but undermine his credibility and that of the SRJ team he represents.
For the record, six to eight groups from Osun West have come forward to advocate for the gubernatorial ticket to be zoned to their district. Importantly, they have stated explicitly that this advocacy is conditional: they seek zoning only if His Excellency, Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, decides not to contest. This measured and conditional approach reflects maturity, loyalty, and respect for party structures and leadership, qualities evidently absent in Owoyokun’s inflammatory rhetoric.
In his demagoguery, Owoyokun said, “Another half-baked sentiment of political dividers is that the exalted seat of the Osun state governor should be zoned to the Osun West senatorial district. This opinion has never found direction, expression, and fulfilment in the democratic practices and processes of Osun since the advent of this republic in 1999. Even in 2018, when the agitation for zoning was louder than bazooka, it did not fly beyond the boundaries of each town and villages echoing it. It is a defeatist theory to be a crusader of zoning in this age and time, not even in the face of sponsored press conferences we have seen lately.”
Such inflammatory language directed at peace-loving members of Osun West APC is unbecoming of anyone claiming to be a stakeholder in the party’s success.
Furthermore, it is hypocritical for Owoyokun, a member of SRJ’s “Think Tank,” to dismiss zoning while conveniently ignoring SRJ’s glaring electoral failures. In 2018, when His Excellency, Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, was merely a Chief of Staff, the then Director-General of his campaign, Mr. Ajibola Famurewa, successfully delivered his zone despite the significant challenges of that election. Famurewa delivered his Ijesa South federal constituency to APC as the party polled 29,133 votes as against
PDP 27,149. APC also won 75, 772 votes in the whole of the Osun East senatorial district as against PDP’s 68,280. Contrast this with 2022, when Oyetola, as a sitting governor, had SRJ as his campaign DG and yet lost in Osogbo and Olorunda, SRJ’s home base. APC did not only lose in Osogbo and Olorunda, the party lost in the whole four local governments in SRJ’s federal constituency. This embarrassing loss, given the avalanche of infrastructural projects installed by the government of Oyetola in Osogbo and Olorunda, raises serious questions about SRJ’s capacity to lead a winning campaign.
Winning elections is not about emotional outbursts but about data-driven strategy. Any so-called “Winning Blueprint” not grounded in data is nothing more than wishful thinking. Let us consider the facts: in the 2022 governorship election, APC lost in both Osogbo and Olorunda local governments, SRJ’s stronghold, recording a deficit of over 10,000 votes or do they want us to entertain the popular rumour that SRJ deliberately sabotaged Oyetola’s campaign to position himself for 2026? If Owoyokun and his camp continue to insult decent advocates from Osun West, these allegations will no longer remain whispers but will be shouted from the rooftops.
Moreover, SRJ’s failure to deliver even his senatorial district in the 2023 elections is a glaring indictment of his leadership. Winning just three out of ten local governments and two out of four local governments in his federal constituency, are nothing short of disastrous. If Oyetola was supposedly the problem in 2022, why couldn’t SRJ save himself in 2023? The popular chant of “Kole Wole” (“He cannot win”) from SRJ’s 2023 campaign underscores the lack of faith even within his own constituency. It is obvious the voters punished APC for the arrogance of Senator Ajibola Basiru and some of his talkative associates like Owoyokun.
Osun West APC members remain peace-loving advocates for justice and fairness within the party. We will not be deterred by insults from individuals whose loyalty to the party is questionable at best. Owoyokun’s tirade does nothing but expose the desperation and greed within the SRJ camp. APC cannot afford to field an aspirant who is self-centered, divisive, and incapable of uniting the party. A senate spokesperson, who lost his re-election in 2023 to a political beginner who polled barely 1422 votes in 2019, does not deserve to be rewarded with a governorship ticket in 2026. Unless we don’t know what we are doing. If anything, Senator Basiru Ajibola should be advised to repeat his class in 2027, not grandstanding over the 2026 guber contest. It is too high to call.
We call on Owoyokun, as well as other SRJ’s supporters beating a drum of war, to retract his offensive remarks and focus on constructive dialogue. Osun APC’s future depends on unity, not the divisive antics of a few individuals who put personal ambition above the party’s collective interests.
Sulaiman Gafar Blessing writes from Ejigbo Local Government, Ward 4, Unit 003, Orita Court, Ejigbo
