EXCLUSIVE: How Gov Oyetola quietly resigned from APC caretaker panel ahead Osun 2022 poll

Unknown to many, Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola had quietly resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress National Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee long before the Saturday February 19, 2022 governorship primary of the party in the state, Western Post can reveal today.

In the direct primary conducted by the party’s electoral panel chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasak, Governor Oyetola polled 222,169 votes to beat Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who scored 12, 921 votes and former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf, who got 460 votes.

Adeoti was supported by Minister of Interior and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

However, knowing he could not contest the primary while being a member of the panel, the governor had resigned from the caretaker panel to avoid any legal issues.

A source who pleaded not to be mentioned said Governor Oyetola had since submitted his resignation letter to the chairman of the party’s caretaker committee who is also Governor of Yobe State, Mai Bala Buni, who accepted it.

“This was long before the primaries. I don’t know the exact date but I know it’s more than a month before the intra-party election. It’s supposed to be a masterstroke,” the source added.

“The fact of this is also manifest in the recent appointment of members of the committee into the zonal congresses and convention committee, only Governor Oyetola’s name was missing from the list because he had long resigned from the panel,” the source added.

Adeoti, who lost to Governor Oyetola in the primary election, had last week asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare him winner of the shadow poll which was widely characterised as free, fair and transparent and Governor AbduRazaq applauded for the exercise.

The former Secretary to Osun State Government, Adeoti, had prayed the court for a declaration that he was the validly nominated candidate.

Adeoti further prayed the court to declare that Oyetola was not qualified to contest under the party’s constitution because he is an officer of the party.

He also sought, among others, an order directing the APC to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the validly nominated candidate, rather than Oyetola.

Adeoti, the plaintiff, made the prayers in his originating summons in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/203 filed through his counsel, Chiesonu Okpoko, SAN.