Trouble in APM as Makinde, Olopoeyan alliance faces fresh crisis

The political alliance between Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and one of his key allies, AbdulRasheed Adebisi Olopoeyan, appears to be on the verge of another collapse.

Sources familiar with developments revealed that the latest disagreement is linked to the selection of candidates for the forthcoming local government elections to be conducted by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) later this year.

The dispute reportedly began after Governor Makinde failed to allocate any chairmanship slots to legacy members of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the party he joined months ago after his reported attempt to take control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure proved unsuccessful.

Olopoeyan had earlier expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of his loyalists and APM members from the selection of candidates for the State and National Assembly elections. Makinde was said to have appealed to him, assuring him that the imbalance would be addressed during the selection of chairmanship candidates for the local government elections.

However, the conclusion of the chairmanship selection process a few hours ago appears to have deepened the crisis. The development has reportedly unsettled Bimbo Adekanmbi, the APM governorship candidate, who is now seeking ways to reconcile the two political leaders.

As of the time of filing this report, Governor Makinde was reportedly unwilling to concede any chairmanship slot to Olopoeyan’s camp. In response, Olopoeyan was said to have organised a parallel candidate selection exercise across the state’s 33 local government areas on Monday.

Although officials of OYSIEC did not attend the exercise, sources disclosed that the APM had formally notified the commission of the exercise through a letter submitted last Friday, which was acknowledged.

It was further gathered that OYSIEC did not open its office on Monday, allegedly on the instruction of the governor.

Sources also claimed that Makinde travelled to Abuja the same day to brief the national leadership of the APM on the dispute with Olopoeyan.

The disagreement has reportedly resulted in the emergence of two sets of candidates for the 33 chairmanship and 352 councillorship positions across Oyo State.

A source familiar with the matter revealed that Makinde contacted Olopoeyan on Monday night, urging him to remain calm until his return, apparently in a bid to revisit the candidate list.

“The governor cannot afford to have Olopoeyan as an opponent. He has already lost the support of several influential political figures, including Alhaja Mulikat Adeola Akande, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, and others who may leave in the coming months.

“The concern, however, is that Governor Makinde may be trying to buy time, as he has done in the past. Olopoeyan is also politically experienced and cautious. If the process is delayed much longer, it may become impossible to make any meaningful changes to the list,” the source said.

Sources said Olopoeyan had strategically secured control of the APM structure before the influx of Makinde’s supporters into the party. He reportedly filled most executive positions with loyalists, many of whom had previously belonged to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

When Governor Makinde and his supporters later joined the APM, they were said to have immediately pushed for changes in the party’s leadership structure, laying the foundation for the current dispute.

This is not the first time the political relationship between Makinde and Olopoeyan has deteriorated.

Olopoeyan was widely regarded as one of the political figures who played a significant role in Makinde’s emergence as governor in 2019. However, the alliance soon broke down after both men reportedly fell out over appointments and political concessions. At the time, Makinde was alleged to have insisted that he had already compensated Olopoeyan for his role in the election, a claim that further strained their relationship.