This may not be the best of times for the Osun State chapter of the All Progressive Congress(APC) as four different groups with irreconcilable differences have emerged.
Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that the four groups are at dagger drawn with internal battles worsening.
The four groups include that of Oyetola’s Ilerioluwa camp, Omisore rescue group, Aregbesola Oranmiyan group and the third force led by a club of former senators and former Commissioners.
Checks showed that the groups are becoming wide apart on a daily basis as they struggle for the control of the party machine, cornering positions from federal authorities and tickets for the 2026 guber race.
As former Governor Oyetola camp flaunts closeness to President Tinubu, reports indicate that both Omisore and Aregbesola also have strong rapprochement with the President who is pushing for peace to stabilize his Presidency.
According to insider sources, the dilemma of the groups is compounded by the alleged soft spot the President reportedly had for Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) due to the Governor’s high approval rating and performance in office and the President being a great politician who doesn’t look down on any politician with a strong believe that nobody is not useful as far as politics is concerned.
Our sources revealed that while Omisore is banking on his strong national party network to push for the APC ticket in 2026, the Ilerioluwa group is playing the family card of affiliation to the president in its push for Oyetola to retain the Governorship platform for 2026.
The Oyetola group appears to face an uphill task as other groups accused the former Governor of messing up the robust party apparatus he inherited from Ogbeni Aregbesola .
To other party stakeholders, the Iragbiji born politician should neither be offered ministerial appointment or party ticket for 2026.
A troubling development however emerged during the last one week as some Ilerioluwa leaders in their closely guided watzapp group described as a failure the strategies so far deployed to counter the rising popularity of Governor Adeleke.
In one of those posts leaked to our medium, an influential leader of the party from Osun East Senatorial district noted that all anti-Adeleke strategies the APC adopted so far have failed as the Governor is daily gaining the confidence of the public.
” Truth is bitter but let me repeat -we are failing in our approach to Ademola Adeleke. All our tactics are falling flats. Let us agree the man has outsmarted us. We are yet to understand his strengths. The Ede man appears to have finalized his 2026 re-election arrangements.
” Let us go to the drawing boards. The factions are many and real. Let us face the facts. Osun people see us as a party without focus and sincerity. As we daily mock Adeleke, the Man is delivering on various fronts. Osun people are with the Ede man. We have to fashion new strategies”, the leader noted in the quoted whatsapp message.
As though that was not enough, our investigation revealed an even more sinister development within the opposition party.
Some young Turks who believed the trio of Aregbesola, Oyetola and Omisore should take the back stage have started a new group targeting the taking over of the party from the old guard.
Reportedly led by a former Senator and a former top Commissioner, the group is reported to be meeting on monthly basis and sending emissaries to the Presidency that Osun APC is doomed unless the young Turks are allowed to take over.
This new group is said to have legs in the inner caucuses of the old guard.