The South-west leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has thrown its weight behind the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, rejecting a petition by group within the party seeking his removal and insisting that those behind the move are not recognised leaders of the party in the region.
The development marks the latest twist in the internal disputes the opposition party is grappling with ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At a meeting of recognised national and zonal officers held in the South-west, party leaders unanimously dismissed allegations that Mr Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, manipulated the party’s structures or influenced the emergence of candidates, describing the claims as false and misleading.
Mr Aregbesola, who governed the South-west state from 2010 to 2018 and later served as the Minister of Interior during the President Muhammadu Buhari administration from 2019 to 2023, is the highest ranking and arguably the most influential member of the ADC in the region.
The former governor, a former ally of President Bola Tinubu, left the APC and joined the ADC last year, in the fallout of his sour relationship with the president and former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who succeeded him in Osun.
