The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has announced the postponement of its much-anticipated Mega Open Air Stakeholders’ Meeting earlier scheduled to hold in Ibadan next Tuesday, citing the need for wider consultation, enhanced coordination and improved planning.
The party said a new date for the meeting would be communicated in due course.
In a statement issued on Friday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, explained that the decision to shift the meeting was informed by the party’s resolve to deepen inclusiveness and consolidate on the reconciliation efforts already underway within its ranks.
The meeting, being jointly organised by the state leadership of the APC and the Oyo State chapter of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, was designed as a continuation of the party’s intra-party reconciliation initiative, which has seen a series of open-air stakeholders’ engagements successfully conducted across the state’s 14 federal constituencies.
According to Sadare, the constituency-level rallies, which followed an initial stakeholders’ meeting at the party’s state secretariat in Ibadan, have significantly eased tensions, bridged divides and fostered renewed unity among leaders and members of the party after years of internal disagreements.
“Recently, we demonstrated to the world that our great party possesses a potent mechanism to resolve all the internal crises that had slowed down our progress since 2019,” Sadare said. “While some observers were still in doubt, we rolled out the idea of open-air stakeholders’ meetings, which we successfully organised across all the 14 federal constituencies in Oyo State.”
He noted that the postponed Ibadan mega meeting was conceived as an expanded engagement that would bring together a broader spectrum of stakeholders, including party leaders and supporters from within and outside the state, in order to “raise the bar” and project the party’s renewed cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This time, we want to involve more stakeholders in the APC from within and outside the state since we are all united by a common cause,” the spokesman said. “An average patriot desires that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secures a second term in office to consolidate the gains of his Renewed Hope Agenda. We therefore want to set out early, ensure that all hands are on deck and run a hitch-free, fruitful electioneering process as we work to return Mr President and reclaim power in Oyo State in 2027.”
Sadare further disclosed that the rescheduled meeting would also serve as a formal platform to receive prominent politicians and their supporters who are expected to defect from other political parties into the APC, a development the party believes would further strengthen its electoral fortunes.
“We will use the opportunity of the planned meeting to formally welcome some bigwigs and their supporters from other political parties into the APC,” he said. “We do not want anyone to cast doubt on the huge number of votes we intend to secure for all APC candidates in the next general elections. That is why we are determined to show our strength, resolve and readiness to the whole world.”
While assuring party faithful that the postponement was not a setback, the APC leadership urged members to remain steadfast and committed to the ideals of unity, peace and collective purpose.
The party reiterated its confidence in its preparedness for the 2027 general elections, stressing that the ongoing reconciliation drive and strategic engagements were critical steps towards rebuilding public trust and repositioning the APC as a formidable political force in Oyo State.
