2027: Oyo APC and The Peace Advocates | By Afeez Bello
The tragedy of 2018 due to internal wrangling within the Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) metamorphosed to 2022, where the progressive folds remain much more divided than before.
Who are the Peace Advocates? Peace Advocates is a progressive movement within Oyo APC promoting harmony, non-violent conflict resolution, and sustainable development within the party. Often use dialogue to settle disagreement and disputes, thereby eradicating disunity in the progressive folds in Oyo APC.
The Oyo APC Peace Advocates has used 3Cs to ensure stability in the party since the last electoral dispensation (2022). Namely, connection, communication, and collaboration.
The Convener, Oyo APC Peace Advocates, Prince Niran Adeyoju, has used his influence and connection to bring together party stakeholders and groups from different tendencies and bridge divides among them. This, however, has been fostering unity in the party.
Oyo APC Peace Advocates always use the media to communicate various developments to the world, especially through social media. This has reawakened the conscience of party members that the party are in unison.
As a conflict resolver, Adeyoju has been making efforts alongside other party stakeholders to bring back APC to Agodi Government House come 2027.
Oyo APC Peace Advocates has succeeded in achieving various tasks that would have caused more harm than good to the party. These includes:
Respectful Dialogue: The Peace Advocate movement respects and seeks to understand different groups and their ideologies within the party. This principle has been guiding the movements in mediating various issues in the party without applying any form of force.
The Oyo APC Peace Advocate under the leadership of Adeyoju comprises leaders who are good listeners and humble learners. They listen to warring parties to express their dissatisfaction and come out with a win-win situation. This has strengthened harmony within the party in the past few years.
This movement maintains openness in settling disputes. This transparency has a positive consequence in strengthening the stability of the progressive folds in the state.
As APC’s process of electing and selecting candidates is currently making waves across the country, it is essential to note that the party should consider Oyo APC Peace Advocates in the struggle since it doesn’t need to run from pillar to post before the party can give it a fair share of at least one out of 49 legislative positions that party members were jostling for at the state and federal levels.
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned the All Progressives Congress APC to a full progressive party, using progressive ideology to ensure that the Peace Advocates have a representative in government or appropriating a seat in the federal or state house to the Oyo APC Peace Advocates through an unbiased consensus arrangement or direct primary as stipulated under electoral law. This will serve as a fair reward to the Oyo APC Peace Advocate since it serves as a diplomatic figure within the Oyo APC, and its roles in the progress of the party cannot and should not be underestimated.
