ABUJA — The internal crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has deepened significantly as critical zonal stakeholders and leadership figures from the South-West region demanded the immediate suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The coalition accused the former Minister of Interior of engaging in gross anti-party activities, alleging that he is acting as an internal fifth columnist and an ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sabotage the opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded communique issued at the end of an emergency zonal strategic meeting and signed by key regional officials—including Felix Ogunwale (Chief Special Adviser), Yinka Olona (Head of Directorates), and state chairmen Olufemi Soluade (Ogun), Abideen Okandeji (Osun), Ilesanmi Omolayo (Ekiti), and Wole Ademoyegun (Ondo)—the party hierarchy expressed deep concern over the direction of the party under Aregbesola’s stewardship.
Electoral Manipulation and Parallel Structures
The stakeholders leveled a series of weighty allegations against the National Secretary, claiming he hijacked core administrative functions for personal political reclamation in Lagos and Osun states.
Among the primary grievances are:
- Candidacy Substitution: Aregbesola was accused of colluding with elements within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on July 14, 2026—the deadline for uploading National Assembly candidates—to clandestinely replace legitimate candidates who emerged through INEC-monitored primaries with loyalists from his “Omoluabi Progressive” group.
- Membership Registration Crisis: The party leadership blamed Aregbesola for plunging the chapter into financial turmoil by bypassing electronic membership protocols mandated by the Electoral Act 2026, opting instead to print hard-copy registration materials exclusively distributed to his loyalists, resulting in abysmally low turnout across the region.
- Usurpation of Organizing Powers: The South-West caucus alleged that Aregbesola usurped the statutory role of the National Organising Secretary by instituting unconstitutional parallel primary committees and rejecting structured ward, local government, and state frameworks.
- Poor Electoral Outings: The stakeholders linked his high-handedness directly to the party’s dismal electoral showings in recent off-season ballots, noting that the ADC managed a meager 3.4 per cent (12,872 votes) in the June 20, 2026 Ekiti governorship election, and 1.7 per cent (17,180 votes) in the August 15, 2026 Osun poll.
The Tinubu Connection and 2027 Anxieties
At the heart of the regional rebellion is the suspicion that Aregbesola’s loyalties lie elsewhere. The stakeholders alleged that his overarching strategy is designed to weaken the opposition structure in the South-West to the benefit of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Tinubu.
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The communique further claimed that Aregbesola operates in cahoots with former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi—noting that Fayemi reportedly influenced the nomination of the South-West National Vice Chairman while openly backing President Tinubu’s administration for a second term.
“The greatest priority of the South-West caucus is to form a formidable and united platform that can deliver the region for the ADC in the 2027 general elections,” the leaders declared, categorically rejecting any caretaker structures or actions originating from Aregbesola’s office.
As pressure mounts on the national leadership to enforce disciplinary actions, the unfolding power struggle threatens to polarize the opposition coalition further as political actors realign ahead of the 2027 ballot.