Olopoeyan: I Won’t Support Makinde’s Presidential Bid, Next Oyo Gov Should Start Afresh Not Omituntun 3.0

• Famojuro Hijacked BoyeNation Concern For Personal Gain

A chieftain of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan, has described the launch of Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential campaign office as an “unserious movie scene”, questioning the relationship between the governor and 2027?NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Olopoeyan spoke during an interview with Captain Peter Olasupo P2 on “Eto Oselu”, a political programme currently making the rounds online, where he questioned why Obi, who is not a member of the APM, was invited to speak at the launch of Makinde’s campaign office.

He said the development raised the question of who was actually coordinating for whom between Makinde and Obi, arguing that he believed Makinde might be coordinating for Obi rather than Obi coordinating for Makinde.

“Governor should come out and explain why Obi was there. Who is the coordinator of who, who is coordinating for the other among them?” he asked.

Olopoeyan said it was strange for a presidential candidate from another political platform to attend the campaign office launch of another candidate and speak from his podium, describing the development as a “movie” and “cinema”.

He also said he would not support Makinde’s presidential ambition, saying he saw no seriousness in what happened at the campaign office launch.

The APM chieftain also reacted to the recent Boye Nation/JAF concert, dismissing suggestions that the event represented a fresh influx of members into the APM.

According to him, the event was primarily a concert attended by artistes and their fans, although some political candidates were present. He said no state, local government or ward party executives were involved in registering new members at the event.

Olopoeyan specifically dismissed Otunba Seye Famojuro as a politician, describing him as an associate of Makinde and alleging that his perceived influence comes largely from his closeness to the governor.

He said party chairmen were not invited to the concert and alleged that the event was hijacked for political campaign purposes.

“It was just a concert. There were no new members. The artistes that were there had their fans come to watch. The concert was hijacked from Boye to do their campaign,” he said.

On the disagreement involving Hon. Abass Adigun Agboworin, Olopoeyan said he facilitated Agboworin’s ticket in 2019 but later became dissatisfied with his relationship with members of the ward he represented.

He claimed that members of the constituency had complained that Agboworin was not carrying them along, adding that he had only seen the lawmaker a few times since helping him secure the ticket.

Olopoeyan also spoke extensively about the crisis within the Oyo APM, insisting that the party itself was not the problem but that some politicians joined through an alliance and later sidelined the original party structure.

He said many of the APM executives at ward and local government levels were people who had followed him from the NNPP, maintaining that they formed the structure that existed before the alliance with politicians from the PDP.

According to him, the disagreement became particularly serious over the distribution of political positions, including local government chairmanships and councillorships.

Olopoeyan said his group had asked that its members be given a share of the available positions, but alleged that Makinde told him directly that they would not get any positions apart from the retention of his supervisor.

He said the matter was now before the court and that his group would abide by whatever judgment was eventually delivered.

“We had no agreement than give us part of the positions. Do you want my own people to leave us? And we went to court, and whatever court says is what we will follow,” he said.

He also claimed that his faction invited INEC to its primary election and argued that the electoral body should determine whether its process was legitimate, while dismissing the authority of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) in the dispute.

Speaking on Bimbo Adekanmbi, APM Governorship candidate, Olopoeyan described him as his younger brother despite their current lack of communication, alleging that people around Makinde had become afraid to relate with individuals outside the governor’s immediate circle.

He, however, said he did not know whether Adekanmbi had taken a position against him or whether he had been pressured to distance himself.

Olopoeyan also discussed the 2027 governorship race, saying he had not declared support for any candidate and would make his decision when the time comes.

He named several governorship candidates as people close to him, including Bimbo Adekanmbi, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Adegboyega Taofeek and Oriyomi Hamzat, saying their political conduct and the votes of the people would ultimately determine the direction of the race.

On the APC governorship permutations, Olopoeyan said he did not know what was happening within the party, particularly concerning competing claims over its governorship ticket.

He said while Akeem Agbaje had approached him claiming to be the party’s candidate, he was aware that Senator Sharafadeen Alli’s name had been identified with the party’s nomination, adding that he preferred to wait and see how the matter develops.

Olopoeyan also criticised the decision to brand the proposed next administration as “Omituntun 3.0”, arguing that Makinde’s successor should begin on a fresh note rather than present the administration as a continuation of the governor’s political identity.

He said Makinde was associated with “Omituntun”, while Adekanmbi should be associated with “BASE”, questioning why an administration that had not existed before would already be described as “3.0”.

On the choice of former APC members as governorship and deputy governorship candidates in the emerging political calculations, Olopoeyan said he could not speak for those who made the decisions but suggested that political strategy could have influenced the choices.

He said if he were making the choice, he might consider Amb. Olufemi Ajadi or Bimbo Adekanmbi, but advised the candidates not to be afraid of Makinde and to consult widely.

Olopoeyan also used the interview to send a message to Makinde, urging the governor not to monopolise political benefits and to allow people who worked for his administration and political structure to have a share of government.

“Don’t always do ‘take it all’. Allow people around you to take part too and enjoy, so you can be well remembered after your administration,” he said.

He maintained that his interest was not necessarily personal appointments or money, but opportunities for party members and political supporters to participate in government, including positions such as councillors and local government chairmen.