Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in six local government areas of Oyo State have lauded the party’s leadership for what they described as remarkably peaceful ward, local government and state congresses, while pressing for a fundamental review of the party’s zoning formula at the national level.

The stakeholders, drawn from Akinyele, Egbeda, Ido, Lagelu, Oluyole and Ona-Ara local government areas, met at the party’s secretariat on New Ife Road in Ibadan, where they adopted a communiqué capturing their position on the just-concluded exercises and the future of the party in the state and beyond.

In the communiqué, signed by chairman Kamorudeen Ajisafe and secretary Buliaminu Ogundele, the group noted that many party members had feared a repeat of the rancorous congresses of 2018 and 2022. They said those anxieties were ultimately unfounded, insisting that the latest round of congresses had strengthened the party’s internal cohesion.

The stakeholders credited the calm atmosphere to the leadership’s embrace of consensus as recommended by the APC national secretariat, as well as what they called the maturity and discipline displayed by party members across Oyo’s 351 wards and 33 local government areas. They stressed that the congresses were conducted without any reported incident of violence.

The group also used the forum to congratulate former deputy governor of the state, Moses Adeyemo, on his emergence as the new APC state chairman. They pledged “maximum cooperation and support” for his leadership team, framing the new executive as central to repositioning the party ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.

At the same time, the stakeholders urged Adeyemo to move swiftly to reconcile aggrieved members and resolve lingering disputes in some local government chapters, warning that unresolved grievances could undermine recent gains.

Beyond state-level issues, the stakeholders turned their attention to the party’s national structure, calling on the APC leadership to revisit the zoning arrangement that produced the current South West and national executive committees. They argued that Oyo, given its population, voting strength and human resources, had been short-changed in the distribution of key positions.

The communiqué demanded what it termed justice and fairness for Oyo State in future power-sharing negotiations, insisting that a more balanced zoning formula was essential to sustaining party unity and electoral strength in the region.