In a bid to consolidate its hold on the South-West geo-political zone and ensure a block vote for its candidates in 2015 elections, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has re-opened its negotiations with the former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja.
Ladoja, the national leader of Accord Party (AP), has declared his intention to contest the governorship election in Oyo State next year, which is expected to hold in February.
The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had earlier entered into working agreement with Ladoja at the inception of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration only for the latter to truncate the agreement, alleging stern criticisms of his administration’s policies by Ladoja.
Daily Sun, however, reliably gathered that the APC leadership in the zone was worried with the soaring popularity of Ladoja and the expansion of his party not only in Oyo State but also across other states in the South-West.
Recently, a serving senator, elected on the platform of the defunct ACN, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin defected to Accord Party at a grand rally held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan.
Many appointees in the Ajimobi administration, led by his Special Adviser on Transport, Asiwaju Yemi Aderibigbe, as well as APC stalwarts across the state, also defected to AP at the Mapo rally. The APC leadership was also said to have been worried about the political situation in the state, especially with the exit of Senator Ayo Adeseun from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), shortly after Lanlehin’s defection, making APC to have lost its two senators in Oyo State to the opposition parties.
Informed sources within the government circle in Oyo State confided in Daily Sun that APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had been sending emissaries to Ladoja to join the APC and avail the party his wealth of experience.
It was reliably gathered that a former governor of Osun State, who recently joined APC (names withheld) and a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG) were among the new emissaries sent to lobby Ladoja to join the APC. With the intense lobby and calibre of personalities involved, Ladoja was said to have agreed to a meeting with the party leadership for a discussion on APC overtures.
Daily Sun gathered that the meeting, which held on Friday, October 3, had in attendance Tinubu, former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Oni, the national vice-chairman of APC in the South-West, Chief Pius Akinyelure and an unnamed political figure in the zone.
A reliable source at Ladoja’s Ibadan home confirmed that Akinyelure actually visited Ladoja on Sunday, October 5, in company with Governor Ajimobi but was not privy to their discussion. But when contacted on phone for comment, the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the APC and former Ekiti State governor, Mr. Segun Oni said there was nothing like that.

Oyo 2015: Tinubu, South West APC leaders mount pressure on Ladoja