Owo APC Elders Disown Purported Communiqué, Reaffirm Pa T. S. Akinrinbola’s Leadership

Owo APC Elders Disown Purported Communiqué, Reaffirm Pa T. S. Akinrinbola’s Leadership

….Warn Against Unauthorised Meetings, Urge Party Unity…

 

The recognised Elders and Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owo Local Government have formally distanced themselves from a communiqué issued after a meeting held on July 17, 2026, declaring that it does not reflect the official position of the party’s leadership in the area.

The forum maintained that the gathering was neither authorised nor convened through the established leadership structure of the party.

In a communiqué released to Our Heritage Reporter online after an extraordinary meeting chaired by Pa T. S. Akinrinbola, the elders reaffirmed his position as the authentic chairman of the forum and insisted that only communications issued under his authority should be regarded as valid.

 

They also criticised the exclusion of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami, from the earlier meeting, describing it as inconsistent with party tradition, while calling on members to uphold due process, unity and discipline within the APC.

Full statement reads:

OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE ELDERS AND LEADERS OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), OWO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, 20TH JULY, 2026

The Elders and Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Owo Local Government, at an Extraordinary Meeting duly convened under the Chairmanship of Pa T. S. Akinrinbola on Monday, 20th July, 2026, having exhaustively deliberated on the purported communiqué issued following a meeting reportedly held on Saturday, 18th July, 2026, at the residence of the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, CON, unanimously resolved as follows:

1. The Forum unequivocally dissociates itself from the purported communiqué and declares that it neither originated from nor was authorised, approved or ratified by the recognised Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government. Accordingly, the said communiqué is unofficial, devoid of institutional legitimacy and incapable of representing the authentic position of the Forum.

2. The Forum notes that the meeting of Saturday, 18th July, 2026, was presided over by Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose. The Forum categorically states that Mrs. Anifowose neither received the mandate nor the authority of the recognised Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government under the Chairmanship of Pa T. S. Akinrinbola to convene, preside over or issue any communiqué on behalf of the Forum.

3. The Forum expresses profound disappointment that a respected personality of Mrs. Anifowose’s standing allowed her credibility, goodwill and the respect she enjoys among the people of Owo to be deployed in an attempt to legitimise what the Forum considers an unauthorised and procedurally defective meeting. The Forum considers this unfortunate and capable of diminishing the confidence reposed in respected community leaders. The Forum further urges all eminent personalities to refrain from lending their names or offices to actions capable of creating avoidable divisions within the party.

4. The Forum considers it highly condemnable that a meeting purportedly convened as a gathering of APC leaders in Owo Local Government was held without inviting Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami, MNI, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, who remains the highest political office holder from Owo Kingdom and one of the foremost leaders of the party in the Local Government. Such an omission is inconsistent with established political decorum, respect for constituted leadership and the principles of party unity.

5. The Forum recalls that only recently, recognised Elders and Leaders of the Party had assembled at the APC Secretariat in Owo to strategise on the nationwide membership registration exercise in accordance with directives of the Party. That lawful meeting was violently disrupted by goons allegedly acting at the instance of certain political interests, thereby frustrating a legitimate party activity. It is therefore both astonishing and contradictory that the same political actors now claim to have convened an unauthorised meeting under the guise of mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, after engaging in actions that have consistently undermined party cohesion, weakened internal structures and destabilised the APC in Owo Local Government. Genuine mobilisation for electoral victory can only flourish in an atmosphere of unity, inclusiveness and respect for established leadership, not through unilateral actions that deepen divisions within the party.

6. The Forum reiterates that the mere use of the residence of the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, CON, as the venue of any gathering does not confer legitimacy upon such meeting nor vest its organisers with authority to speak on behalf of the Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government. Institutional authority derives from due process, lawful mandate and recognised leadership, not from the choice of venue.

7. The Forum reaffirms that, following the demise of the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, CON, the leadership of the Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government devolved, by long-established convention and accepted practice, upon Pa T. S. Akinrinbola, who remains the duly recognised Chairman and authentic leader of the Forum.

8. The Forum remains resolute in its commitment to constitutional order, internal democracy, due process, unity, discipline and the preservation of the integrity and historical traditions of the All Progressives Congress in Owo Local Government.

9. Consequently, members of the public, party faithful, government institutions, elected and appointed public office holders, traditional institutions and all stakeholders are advised to disregard the purported communiqué issued after the meeting of Saturday, 18th July, 2026, as it does not represent the official position of the recognised Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government.

10. Henceforth, only communications duly authorised by the Forum under the Chairmanship of Pa T. S. Akinrinbola shall be regarded as the authentic, valid and binding position of the Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government.

11. The Forum further resolved that only duly recognised members invited through the established leadership of the Forum shall participate in meetings convened in the name of the Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government, irrespective of the venue.

Institutional authority derives from due process, not assumption; legitimacy flows from lawful mandate, not self-appointment. The unity of the Party must never be sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition or political expediency.

Signed:

Pa T. S. Akinrinbola
Chairman, Elders and Leaders of APC, Owo Local Government
For and on behalf of the Forum