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Three former members of the Osun State House of Assembly have resigned their membership of the All Progressives Congress, dealing another blow to the party as political realignments continue ahead of future elections. The former lawmakers — Lekan Oyediran, Aleem Bakare, and Folorunso Oladoyin — formally announced their departure through separate resignation letters addressed to their respective local government party chairmen.
According to the letters, the resignations took effect between June 1 and June 2. While Aleem Bakare specifically cited the absence of internal democracy within the APC as the reason for his decision, Oyediran and Oladoyin did not publicly state why they were leaving the party. Oyediran represented Odo Otin State Constituency between 1999 and 2003, Bakare served as the lawmaker for Ejigbo State Constituency from 2003 to 2007, while Oladoyin represented Ife South State Constituency from 2011 to 2019 before later serving as Osun State Commissioner for Education under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The three politicians are widely regarded as close associates of former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who has maintained a relatively low profile within the party since the conclusion of the APC governorship primary in Osun. However, Omisore’s media aide, Jamiu Olawumi, dismissed suggestions that the former deputy governor directed his loyalists to leave the APC, insisting that their decisions were personal and based on their individual political calculations. He also rejected speculation that Omisore himself was preparing to defect, describing such claims as unfounded.
Reacting to the development, Osun APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi said the party was not worried by the defections, stressing that freedom of association remains a constitutional right. He argued that the APC had recently attracted several prominent politicians from rival parties, including lawmakers and senior political figures, adding that the exit of three former assembly members would not affect the party’s strength ahead of upcoming elections. Political observers, however, believe the resignations reflect the lingering dissatisfaction among some APC stakeholders following recent primary elections and internal power struggles within the party.
