The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, says the party cannot afford to remain in opposition in Oyo State.
Yilwatda made the declaration on Thursday in Ibadan during the inauguration of Sen. Sharafadeen Alli’s Governorship Campaign Committee.
The event also featured the launch of the APC campaign office ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He described Oyo State as strategically important to the politics of the Southwest and Nigeria, saying the state must return to governance.
“Oyo is too strategic to the politics of the Southwest and Nigeria to be left out of governance at the centre,” he said.
Yilwatda noted that Oyo has the second-highest voter strength in the Southwest, after Lagos, and therefore deserves priority attention.
The APC chairman also accepted responsibility for grievances arising from the party’s governorship primary election in the state.
He said the National Working Committee (NWC) inaugurated the primary election committee, making its actions the responsibility of the party.
“So if anybody is hurt, if anybody is injured, if anybody is prevented, if anybody is excluded, we take responsibility.
“Before everybody, we say we take absolute responsibility for all that happened. We are sorry,” he said.
Yilwatda appealed to APC members across local governments, wards and polling units to regard the disagreements as an internal family affair.
He personally sought forgiveness from aggrieved members, saying unity was essential for the party to move forward and achieve victory.
The national chairman said Oyo State must produce a governor capable of speaking directly for the state at the centre.
He explained that having members in the National Assembly was insufficient without a governor capable of engaging the Presidency.
Yilwatda described Oyo State as the “nerve of the politics of the Southwest”, recalling its historical leadership dating back to Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He cited the state’s pioneering achievements in education, broadcasting and infrastructure as evidence of its capacity to lead again.
“Who is your voice at the centre? Who is the voice of the Yoruba nation at the centre?
“That voice should come from Oyo,” Yilwatda declared, urging party members to unite behind the governorship campaign.
He expressed confidence that with Sen. Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s candidate, “the kingdom can rise again”.
Yilwatda charged the newly inaugurated campaign committee to mobilise effectively and work towards securing victory for the APC in 2027.
Responding, Alli commended Yilwatda for addressing longstanding issues during his two-day visit to the state.
He said the achievements recorded and issues resolved during the visit had not been accomplished in the preceding couple of weeks.
Alli reassured the national chairman and NWC members that he would fulfil his promises to Oyo residents.
He said the commitments he made to the people, including those made before President Bola Tinubu, would be fully implemented. (NAN)
