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The leader of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Aremu Olopoeyan, has reaffirmed his commitment to the party, declaring that neither he nor registered members of the party in the state has any intention of abandoning the platform.
Olopoeyan made the declaration on Wednesday while hosting 24 of the 30 members of the APM State Executive Committee and party chairmen from 32 of the 33 local government areas of Oyo State at his residence.
The meeting came amid growing disagreements within the party over the management of its affairs and the process that produced its consensus candidates for the forthcoming local government elections.
Olopoeyan said the internal disagreements should not be interpreted as an attempt by him or his supporters to leave the APM, stressing that their agitation was aimed at securing proper recognition and participation for members who, according to him, had contributed significantly to building the party’s structures across the state.
He maintained that the party belonged to all its members and not to any individual or group.
“APM belongs to all its members. I am not leaving APM, and nobody should think that our agitation means we want to abandon the party. We have built this party together, and we will continue to defend the interests of genuine members,” Olopoeyan said.
Olopoeyan also addressed the absence of the APM state chairman, Otunba Fagbemi Adegbenro, from the meeting, saying he was not concerned by the chairman’s decision to stay away.
He alleged that Adegbenro had been advised to avoid the meeting over fears that it was convened to suspend or remove him from office.
Olopoeyan, however, dismissed the allegation, insisting that there was no plan to suspend the state chairman.
“No one is going to suspend anybody. Adegbenro remains our chairman. Even if the executive members have the constitutional power to remove him, nobody is planning to do that. He remains the APM state chairman,” he said.
He also appealed to party members to reassure Adegbenro that there was no threat to his position.
“Anyone who sees our state chairman should tell him to put his mind at rest. Nobody will suspend him. He is our chairman, and he will remain our chairman,” Olopoeyan added.
The APM leader further alleged that he had been informed that some political figures, including Seye Famojuro, Double T and the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Muftau Open Salawu, had advised Adegbenro to distance himself from him and stop visiting his residence.
Olopoeyan said the alleged pressure would not affect his commitment to the party or his relationship with registered APM members across Oyo State.
He described the dispute within the party as an internal struggle over the rights and interests of genuine members, particularly regarding the process that produced consensus candidates for the forthcoming local government elections.
On the disputed candidates, Olopoeyan disclosed that the duly emerged APM candidates had approached the court with the support of the party’s state, local government and ward executives.
He said the party in Oyo State believed in the rule of law and would respect the eventual judgment of the court, regardless of which side the decision favoured.
“We believe in the rule of law. Whatever the court decides, we will accept it. Our concern is that the rights of genuine party members must be protected and that the processes through which candidates emerge must be transparent and credible,” he said.
Olopoeyan also expressed concern over the emergence of several candidates under the APM platform, saying that, despite being a major stakeholder in the party, he was unfamiliar with many of those contesting under its banner.
He said the APM candidates he personally recognised included Governor Seyi Makinde, whom he identified as contesting for the presidency; the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Bimbo Adekanmbi; his running mate, Engr. Muftau Open Salawu; Hon. Shina Peller, contesting for the Oyo North Senatorial District; Dr. Oluwafemi Ajadi, contesting for Oyo Central Senatorial District; and Hon. Biodun Babalola, the candidate for Ibadan North East State Constituency.
Olopoeyan argued that stakeholders who had invested in building the party should not be sidelined from decisions affecting its political future.
He called for greater inclusion of genuine party members in the affairs and decision-making processes of the APM, particularly as preparations intensify for upcoming elections.
He maintained that his current position was not driven by a desire to leave the party but by the need to strengthen its internal structures and ensure that members who had worked to build the platform were adequately recognised.
“We are not fighting APM. We are fighting for APM and for the members who built it,” Olopoeyan said, reaffirming his commitment to the party.
