Oyo APC and 2027: Healing, Unity and The Road to Victory | By Hon Niyi Adeagbo

Our party have been out of government in Oyo State since 2019, many difficult things have happened to us as individuals and as a political family. We have lost fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, associates, political generals and great comrades. Many of our people have also gone through difficult psychological, mental, emotional and personal challenges.

These experiences have inevitably affected our ability to function, participate and engage with the same strength, enthusiasm and unity that once characterised us as a political team. Being in government naturally provides greater opportunities for political activities, interaction, mobilisation and engagement. Being outside government for this long has tested our resilience and weakened some of the structures and relationships that once held us together.

But this is not the time to give up. This is the time to reflect, heal and rebuild.

We must take a moment to think deeply about what we have lost, what we have learned and, most importantly, what we must do differently to regain our collective strength.

The recent primaries may have produced different expectations, interests and disappointments among us. Some people may have achieved their aspirations, while others may not have. But the primaries are over. Elections will come and go, and new opportunities will continue to emerge. In another few years, there will be another primary or selection process.

No political ambition should therefore be allowed to destroy relationships that have taken years to build.

Many of us have benefited, directly or indirectly, from the progressive method of selection at different levels from National, Senatorial, Constituency, State, Local Government, Ward and Unit. At different times, some of us have been beneficiaries, while at other times we have had to accept outcomes that did not favour us.

That is the nature of politics.

Sometimes it is our turn; sometimes we support someone else. What must never change is our commitment to the larger family and the ultimate goal.

Almost eight years outside government at the state is not a good omen for any political party or its members, especially when we sincerely believe that the people of Oyo State can enjoy better governance under our leadership and that our programmes, policies and blueprint can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our people.

Therefore, this is the time to bury our swords.

Let us soften our hearts towards one another. Let us forgive where we have been offended and apologise where we have offended others. Let us stop carrying the wounds of the past into the battles of the future.

We may have disagreed over candidates, positions or political interests, but we remain members of the same political family. We need one another.

Our focus now should not be on who won or lost the last primary. Our focus should be on what we can collectively achieve at the next election.

Let us return to the grassroots and work together across all Local Governments, wards, cells and units. Let us rebuild our structures, reconnect with our people, encourage our members and restore the spirit of teamwork that once made us strong.

We must work collectively towards delivering all our candidates, from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his second-term bid, to our Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates, our Governorship candidate Senator Sarafadeen Alli, and all our State Assembly candidates.

The road ahead will require patience, humility, discipline, forgiveness, concentration and teamwork. Nobody should underestimate the importance of unity.

Our individual interests may differ, but our ultimate goal must remain the same.

Let us choose reconciliation over resentment.
Let us choose unity over division.
Let us choose teamwork over personal differences.
Let us choose hope over frustration.
Let us choose the future over the wounds of the past.

We have been through difficult times, but difficult times do not have to define our future.

We still have the people.
We still have the experience.
We still have the structures.
We still have the capacity.
And, most importantly, we still have one another.

Let us therefore come together again not because we agree on everything, but because we understand that our collective future is bigger than our individual differences.

The time has come to heal, reconcile, reorganise and rebuild.

Let us bury our swords, unite our strengths and concentrate on the ultimate goal: victory and the opportunity to serve the good people of Oyo State again.

If we stand together, work together and believe in one another, we can rebuild our party, regain the confidence of our people and return stronger than ever before.

Together, We Can Be Proud Again.