Oyo APC mocks Ibadan opposition summit, questions attendees’ credibility

From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has downplayed the significance of the recent opposition gathering held in Ibadan, criticising participants and questioning their capacity to influence Nigeria’s democratic trajectory.

The meeting, convened on Saturday, April 25, 2026, by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, brought together prominent figures from various opposition parties—including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Rotimi Amaechi—under the banner of a one-day National Summit. The event was aimed at forging a unified strategy and potentially fielding a single candidate to challenge the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections.

However, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the Oyo APC described the attendees as “clownish characters” and “opposition jesters” lacking the competence and seriousness required to mount a credible political challenge. The party insisted that neither President Bola Ahmed Tinubu nor the APC leadership was concerned about the outcome of the meeting.

“They are just wasting their time, as it is simply impossible for them to catch up with a man who is several kilometres ahead of them in a marathon,” the statement added.

The party argued that internal contradictions and a lack of cohesion among opposition leaders would undermine any attempt to present a formidable front. The APC also took aim at Governor Makinde’s leadership role at the summit, accusing him of positioning himself as a moral compass despite what it described as a record of “naive and deceitful” political playing.

Additionally, the party raised serious concerns over remarks attributed to Makinde regarding “Operation Wetie,” the violent political crisis that rocked the old Western Region in the 1960s. Makinde had reportedly warned that the 1960s unrest started in Ibadan as a reaction to one-party domination. The APC interpreted these comments as inflammatory and a sign of desperation.

“The ‘Operation Wetie’ threat, which came from Gov. Makinde, would not be taken with a pinch of salt as it was a revelation,” Sadare stated, warning that any attempt to incite unrest would be met with the full weight of the law.

Reaffirming confidence in its electoral prospects, the APC maintained that the ruling party remains firmly in control and is focused on governance, while the opposition is “whipping up emotions” because they face a “perilous future.”