The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has announced a 205-member campaign committee for the forthcoming Ibadan North Federal Constituency bye-election, but the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, has been conspicuously excluded.
The campaign council list, released on Monday and signed by the Oyo APC Chairman, Pharm. Olayide Abas, includes a blend of former and serving lawmakers, technocrats, and grassroots mobilizers. However, the absence of Senator Folarin a former Senate Leader and a major political figure in the state has raised questions about internal party dynamics and unity ahead of the August 16 poll.
Hon. Akin Alabi, the member representing Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency, was named Director-General of the campaign council, signaling a shift in influence within the state chapter. Other prominent names on the list include the three serving senators in the party, Senators Sharafadeen Alli (Oyo South), Yunus Akintunde (Oyo Central), Fatai Buhari (Oyo North), Chief Adeolu Akande, Senator Ayoade Adeseun, Hon. Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, Hon. Bosun Oladele, and Mrs. Mabel Williams.
The committee is subdivided into strategic directorates including Publicity, Legal Affairs, Budget & Finance, Contact & Mobilisation, Logistics, and Women & Youth Engagement, in what the party describes as a “broad-based and inclusive approach” to secure victory in the bye-election.
The official inauguration of the campaign council is scheduled to hold today, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
The seat became vacant following the sudden death of Hon. Olaide Akinremi (Jagaban) last month. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the bye-election for August 16.
