There is an old saying in these parts: when you point one finger at others, four fingers point back at you. A recent anonymous publication attempting to dress Bayo Adelabu in borrowed robes of victimhood reminds one of this wisdom. The piece, for all its dramatic flair, reads less like political analysis and more like a desperate attempt to rewrite history—a history that many of us watched unfold in real time, not through the fog of selective amnesia.
Let us talk plainly, as neighbours do over a bowl of amala and ewedu.
*The Man Who Called APC “Useless* ”
Politicians change parties. That is the nature of the beast. But there is changing parties, and there is burning the bridge while standing on it. When Bayo Adelabu lost the APC primary ticket in 2023, he did not simply lick his wounds and plan his comeback. No. He crossed to the Accord Party and proceeded to dance naked in the village square.
On television. In newspapers and Radio stations. He called the APC “useless.” He told anyone who cared to listen that the party could not be trusted with leadership in Oyo State. These were not whispered secrets; they were public declarations, captured on camera for posterity. One wonders: does the minister now think Oyo voters have forgotten? Does he believe party members have the memory of goldfish?
The same party he called useless now needs to crown him governor? The mathematics does not add up. Even in politics, where flexibility is often celebrated over principle, there are limits to ideological gymnastics.
*The Bye-Election That Exposed It All*
If anyone doubts where Adelabu loyalties truly lie, look no further than the August 16 bye-election in Ibadan North. Here was an opportunity to show leadership, to prove he could put party above personal interest. Instead, what did we see?
The APC family—Ajimobi’s people, Folarin’s camp, amongst others—had found common ground. They wanted Farouk Arisekola, son of the late Aare Musulumi, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao. The choice made sense. Young Arisekola had support cutting across factional lines. More importantly, his father was the very man who opened doors for Adelabu—from secondary school through his banking days, all the way to becoming Deputy Governor of the Central Bank.
How did Adelabu repay this debt of gratitude? He fought tooth and nail to impose his associate, Wale Murphy. He worked against the son of his benefactor. The result? The PDP swept all twelve wards. Twelve! Not one, not two—all twelve. As a minister, if you cannot deliver a local government constituency bye-election, what exactly are you bringing to the governorship table?
The streets of Ibadan still whisper about this betrayal. In a culture where gratitude to benefactors is sacred, such ingratitude does not go unnoticed.
*What Governor Makinde Saw*
Sometimes, your enemy sees you clearer than your friends. Governor Seyi Makinde, in a moment of unusual candour, told President Tinubu that appointing Adelabu as minister to reposition Oyo APC was “a joke taken too far.” His words: “Bayo does not have such capacity.”
One does not need to like Makinde to recognise truth when it stares you in the face. Since that appointment, has the minister united the party? Has he reconciled the factions? Walk through the streets of Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oyo town, Iseyin—ask ordinary party members if they feel the minister presence. The answer comes back in silence and sideways glances.
A ministerial position is not just a personal achievement; it is a platform to build, to bring people together, to show that you can lead beyond press statements. Where is the evidence of this building?
*The Zacch Adedeji I Know*
The anonymous writer tried to drag Dr. Zacch Adedeji into this mess, painting him as a backstabber working against his old friend. This is where the story truly unravels.
Adedeji supported Adelabu in 2019. He supported him again in 2023. Through thick and thin, when others had walked away, Adedeji stood by him. That is on record. That is fact.
But here is what the anonymous writer forgot to mention: Adedeji himself has publicly said he is not running for governor. In a January declaration, he looked journalists in the eye and said, “Count me out of Oyo governorship race.” Clear. Unambiguous. Final.
So this conspiracy theory about Adedeji working against Adelabu in “the presidential circle” collapses on simple logic. Why would a man who has taken himself out of the race spend energy sabotaging someone else? The more likely explanation is simpler and more uncomfortable for the minister camp: Adedeji, like many others, has simply looked at the evidence and concluded that Adelabu is not the horse to back in 2027.
That is not betrayal. That is political judgment.
*Why Senator Alli Makes Sense*
Let us talk about the man the anonymous writer is so afraid of: Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli. Not because he is perfect—no politician is—but because his record speaks a language Oyo voters understand.
Local government chairman at a young age. Secretary to the State Government under Ladoja. Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company. Now Senator representing Oyo South. At every level, he has shown up, done the work, and built relationships across party lines. When APC members in Oyo talk about a “sellable candidate,” this is what they mean—someone who does not carry the baggage of yesterday fights, someone who can walk into any room in Oyo State and command respect.
The suggestion that Oba Ladoja is somehow conspiring to impose Alli is almost laughable. The Olubadan is many things—former governor, respected monarch, chairman of the Council of Obas—but he is not a kingmaker in the crude sense the writer implies. If he looks favourably on Alli, it is because he has worked with the man for decades. He knows his capacity. He has seen him under pressure. That is called wisdom, not conspiracy.
The Real Question
Here is what the anonymous writer—and by extension, the minister camp—refuses to address directly: why does Adelabu believe he deserves the APC ticket in 2027?
Is it because of his ministerial position? That came from the President, not from party members. Is it because of his 2019 performance? He lost that election. Is it because of his loyalty? He called the party useless and worked against its candidate in 2023. Is it because of his ability to unite? The bye-election disaster tells its own story.
The APC in Oyo is not engaged in some dark conspiracy to sideline anyone. The party is simply doing what serious parties do—looking for a candidate who can win. The recent congresses that produced Moses Alake Adeyemo’s leadership were about rebuilding, about creating a level playing field where merit matters.
The Road to 2027
Oyo State politics is not for the faint-hearted.
The voters here are sophisticated. They remember. They calculate. They reward consistency and punish opportunism. The PDP, for all its challenges, has a sitting governor who understands this terrain. To dislodge him, the APC needs more than a famous name or a federal appointment. It needs a candidate who knows the streets, who has paid dues within the party, and who does not carry the stench of yesterday’s betrayals.
Nobody is demarketing Bayo Adelabu. His own words and actions have done that job quite effectively. The party is simply looking at the scoreboard and making a rational choice.
In the end, politics is about addition, not subtraction. It is about bringing people together, not dividing them into “my camp” and “the rest.” Until the minister understands this basic truth, all the anonymous articles in the world cannot save his ambitions.
The chickens, as they say, have come home to roost.
