Four members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Executive Committee in Osun State have rejected a parallel presidential campaign committee list released by the party, arguing that its composition violates established guidelines, due process and the principle of inclusiveness.
The aggrieved party officials, in a joint statement issued on Monday, expressed dissatisfaction with the list, which was released by the Osun APC chairman and reportedly named the party’s governorship candidate as Director-General, despite an earlier inauguration of a presidential campaign committee in the state.
The statement was signed by Wole Adunola, State Publicity Secretary; Adesola Ayangbile, Welfare Officer; Rasheed Adeniji, Assistant Organising Secretary; and Abiola Ololade, an Ex-Officio member of the State Executive Committee.
The four officials said the composition of the new list failed to reflect the party’s established procedures and excluded key stakeholders who were expected to be part of the campaign structure.
“Following a careful review, we express our strong dissatisfaction with the composition of the list, which, in our view, does not adequately reflect established party guidelines, due process and the principle of inclusiveness required in constituting such an important campaign structure. We therefore reject the list in its present form,” they stated.
They particularly faulted the exclusion of several members of the State Working Committee, whom they said were expected to be statutory members of the campaign council under the applicable guidelines.
According to them, the omission raised concerns about consultation, due process and respect for the party’s established leadership structure.
The APC officials also questioned the emergence of the new list, saying it appeared to contradict an earlier presidential directive reportedly appointing Governor Ademola Adeleke as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council in Osun State.
They said the governor had subsequently inaugurated a broad-based campaign committee to coordinate the President’s re-election campaign across the state.
“Furthermore, the composition of the list appears inconsistent with the earlier presidential directive reportedly naming Governor Ademola Adeleke as the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council in Osun State. Following that directive, the governor promptly inaugurated a broad-based campaign team to drive the presidential campaign across the state.
“It is, therefore, unclear why a different structure has now emerged without adequate clarification or alignment with the existing arrangement,” the statement added.
The aggrieved officials also called for clarification on the mandate of the newly released committee, questioning whether it was established to coordinate campaigns for the party’s National Assembly candidates rather than the presidential candidate.
They argued that parliamentary and presidential campaign responsibilities should be clearly separated to prevent confusion, duplication of duties and internal disagreements.
“If the newly released list is intended to serve as a Parliamentary Campaign Council rather than the Presidential Campaign Council, its composition would be more understandable. This distinction must be clearly established to avoid confusion, duplication of responsibilities and unnecessary friction within the party’s campaign structure,” they said.
The four APC chieftains consequently appealed to the party’s national leadership, particularly the National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, to intervene and resolve the disagreement.
They called for an immediate review of the list and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the National Secretary and the State Director-General, to ensure that the campaign structure reflects the party’s guidelines and promotes effective coordination.
The officials warned that failure to resolve the disagreement could deepen divisions within the Osun APC and undermine efforts to secure support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in the state.
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