By Seyi Adeniyi (ASP)
No doubt, some Osun APC leaders have been having sleepless nights over the visit of Governor Adeleke to the president a few days ago. Some of them, who are backers of Bola Oyebamiji, even organized a press conference to register their displeasure, questioning why the president would open his doors to the Governor.
They think they are playing politics with the visit, not knowing they are exposing themselves to ridicule. In the last few days, many Nigerians have visited the president — governors, senators, traditional rulers, and even private citizens. Why then is Adeleke’s visit being singled out for political slander?
In response to the drama, the National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru (SRJ), offered a blistering critique. He called out the antics of Oyebamiji, Owoeye, and Omipidan, describing them as desperate actors on a self-destructive political stage. SRJ did not mince words, he called them political toddlers, lacking the maturity, foresight, and national relevance to chart a sustainable future for the APC in Osun.
Indeed, the political miscalculation by these men shows a fundamental misunderstanding of both power and protocol. The president is not just a party leader; he is a national figure. His office transcends parochial loyalty. To suggest that he should ignore an elected governor — and one from the Southwest no less — is not only disrespectful but shortsighted.
What Oyebamiji and his co-travelers have done is expose their own insecurities. They fear relevance slipping through their fingers. They fear the rising profile of Governor Adeleke. They fear that the bridge Adeleke is building with the center may further isolate them politically.
The question now is: who blinks first?
Will it be Omipidan,
Will it be Owoeye, who may soon understand that holding onto past glories without evolving is a dead-end in today’s political terrain or realizing that incendiary media posturing cannot substitute for grassroots strategy and party unity?
Will it be Bola Oyebamiji, whose backroom maneuvers have now come under national spotlight, risking a political burnout before the next real battle?
Or will they continue their theatrical defiance, even as the center of political gravity in Osun shifts?
One thing is clear: SRJ has drawn the line. And with the party’s national leadership now watching closely, the real reckoning may not be far off.
Seyi Adeniyi writes from Ede in Osun State.
