APM IBARAPA NORTH CHAIRMANSHIP TICKET: WHEN PARTY PROCESS, GOVERNMENT HOUSE AND FACTIONS COLLIDE

The political temperature in Ibarapa North Local Government has risen sharply in the last 48 hours as the Allied Peoples’ Movement, APM, struggles to settle on a chairmanship candidate for the forthcoming local government election. What began as an internal stakeholders’ meeting has now snowballed into a contest involving local party structures, state leadership interests, and even alleged executive preferences.

On Saturday, August 1st, the statutory G10 stakeholders of APM in Ibarapa North met at the Local Government Secretariat in Ayete. From that meeting, two different stories emerged. One account says seven out of the ten G10 members agreed to adopt the incumbent Vice Chairman, Hon. Bisi Akande, as the party’s candidate. The other account, from the Party Chairman, Mr. Olayiwola Ojoogun, insists the meeting ended inconclusively and that any endorsement afterward was stage-managed. The Chairman has also denied two separate statements circulating in his name, one endorsing Hon. Rasaki “Smart” Sefiu and the other endorsing Hon. Peter Gbadegesin, PG, describing both as forged and misleading.

But the drama in Ayete is only one part of the story. Reliable sources within the party indicate that the chairmanship ticket has attracted attention far beyond Ibarapa North. It is being suggested that the preference of Governor Seyi Makinde tilts toward Hon. P.G Ojedokun, as part of an understanding with non-returning members of the Oyo State House of Assembly. At the same time, other powerful forces within APM at the state level are said to be backing both Hon. Bisi Akande and Hon. Rasaki Sefiu for the same ticket.

This is where the stakes get higher. Hon. Ojedokun commands considerable grassroots influence, especially in Igangan. Political watchers warn that if he is edged out, he may be forced to realign with former associates such as Hon. Tajudeen Amao or Hon. Muraina Ajibola, both of whom remain influential opposition figures in the constituency. Such a move would not only weaken APM’s base in Igangan, but could also affect the party’s performance across Ibarapa Central and North in 2027.

What we are witnessing, therefore, is no longer just a contest between three aspirants. It is a test of how APM will balance three competing forces: the will of the local G10 majority, the influence of state party leadership, and the realities of executive politics and grassroots mobilization. To ignore any of these three is to risk internal crisis.

As the APM State Secretariat meets today in Ibadan to take a final decision, the party leadership must tread carefully. A decision that appears to reward only one bloc while alienating the others may win the battle for the chairmanship, but could lose the war for 2027. Due process must be seen to be followed, all contending interests must be engaged, and the broader electoral implications for Ibarapa Land must be put ahead of personal ambition.

The people of Ibarapa North are watching. The party should choose wisely.