Stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the South-West on Thursday called for the immediate suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.In a communiqué issued after an emergency zonal strategic stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, the group also rejected the 14-man caretaker committees they claimed Aregbesola unilaterally set up across the region.
The stakeholders expressed confidence in other national leaders of the party to build a united platform ahead of the 2027 general elections and pledged full support for the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. They vowed to deliver the South-West for the party in the polls.“The South-West leadership and stakeholders call on the national leadership of the party to immediately suspend Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary forthwith,” the communiqué stated.
It was jointly signed by ADC South-West Chief Special Adviser Felix Ogunwale; Head of Directorates Yinka Olona; Ogun State Chairman Olufemi Soluade; Osun State Chairman Abideen Okandeji; Ekiti State Chairman Ilesanmi Omolayo; and Ondo State Chairman Wole Ademoyegun.Former South-West National Vice Chairman Razak Eyiowuawi said the meeting was convened by state executives, leaders and concerned members to address the party’s declining fortunes in the zone and find ways to reposition it for 2027.The stakeholders accused Aregbesola of violating the party constitution by creating parallel structures under the name Omoluabi Progressive and presenting officers of the group as legitimate ADC officials. They cited Article 22, Section 1 of the constitution, which prohibits actions that bring the party into disrepute, create parallel organs, promote factionalism or cause disaffection.
They further alleged that on July 14, 2026 — the final day for uploading National Assembly candidates — Aregbesola used his position to collude with some individuals within INEC and fraudulently substituted names of candidates who emerged from INEC-monitored primaries with those from his Omoluabi Progressive group. One such case, they claimed, involved Kamil Akinlade, listed by INEC as the ADC senatorial candidate for Oyo Central, who allegedly obtained the nomination form free of charge.
On membership registration, the stakeholders said Aregbesola misled the national leadership by promoting the printing of hard-copy materials contrary to the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates e-registration. These materials were allegedly distributed to his loyalists, resulting in very low membership figures in the region.They also accused him of usurping the role of the National Organising Secretary by appointing parallel primary election committees and submitting them to INEC, thereby exposing the party to legal challenges. Additionally, they claimed he held unauthorised meetings that bypassed official structures and restricted access to nomination forms for members outside his group.
The stakeholders pointed to the party’s poor showing in the recent Ekiti and Osun governorship elections. In Ekiti (June 20, 2026), ADC scored 12,872 votes (3.4 per cent), while in Osun (August 15, 2026), it managed 17,180 votes (1.7 per cent). They alleged that Aregbesola handpicked candidates instead of allowing democratic primaries, leading capable aspirants to defect to other parties.Further accusations included claims that Aregbesola was acting more as an ally of President Bola Tinubu than as an ADC national officer, personalising National Working Committee functions, and prioritising his personal political recovery in Osun and Lagos.
They also alleged that he illegally appointed 14-man caretaker committees across states in defiance of court judgments and that some of these committees coordinated the submission of APC-sourced polling agents to INEC as ADC agents.The group linked Aregbesola with former Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi, claiming Fayemi nominated one of Aregbesola’s key appointees and has publicly backed Tinubu’s re-election bid. They further accused Aregbesola of pursuing court cases in a manner that hindered rather than advanced the party’s presidential ambition.The stakeholders resolved that their top priority remains building a strong, united platform capable of delivering the South-West for the ADC in the 2027 elections.
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