𝗢𝘀𝘂𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀- 𝗔 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗢𝗺𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝘆 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘆𝗼 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺.

Reading Ismail Omipidan’s “Osun: A Willing Suitor Vs Unwilling Bride” feels like watching a man trapped in a hall of mirrors reflecting a distorted version of political reality, magnified by bitterness, selective memory, and a thinly veiled obsession with one man: Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Ismail is no neutral commentator. He is a loyalist not just to the APC, but specifically to a faction of the APC loyal to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with being loyal, pretending to offer unbiased analysis while wearing a full partisan cloak is dishonest, at best.

The Desperation Is Yours, Not Adeleke’s

Omipidan accuses Governor Adeleke of desperation for allegedly attempting to woo his way into the APC. The irony is as thick as it is laughable. Who’s really desperate here? A sitting governor who, against all odds and elite resistance, won an election in 2022 and held ground in 2023 despite federal forces working against him? Or the bitter remnants of a fractured APC still licking their wounds from their inability to unite or inspire voters?

Desperation, my dear Omipidan, is writing article after article begging people to believe that your camp still controls Osun politics while defections and internal disillusionment say otherwise.

The “Unwilling Bride” Analogy Falls Flat

Calling the APC the “unwilling bride” is a clever metaphor but only if you’re trying to mask the internal rot within the party. What you call “an unwilling bride” is more like a bride abandoned at the altar, disfigured by years of power struggles, betrayals, and arrogance. Adeleke doesn’t need APC. Let that sink in. He beat it twice once in the courts in 2018 (where electoral daylight robbery was only legitimized on technicalities), and again in 2022 through the ballot.

If APC truly doesn’t want Adeleke, why the coordinated campaign to demonize him every chance you get? Why the endless obsession?

Aregbesola: The Elephant You’re Afraid to Name

Let’s not pretend here the real panic is about Aregbesola. You mention him in whispers, fearing to acknowledge what most Osun voters already understand: he remains the most influential political figure in modern Osun State. Omipidan’s gang tried to erase Aregbesola, vilify him, even purge his loyalists from the APC. And now, having driven a wedge in the party and reaped failure, you want to scapegoat Adeleke and shout fire because the house you helped burn now lies in ashes.

It was your side that expelled and humiliated Aregbesola loyalists. It was your side that weaponized power to silence dissent. Yet you now act surprised that the APC base is no longer enthusiastic. When the real bride Aregbesola left the room, your wedding party became a ghost town.

On Performance and Selective Outrage

You claim Adeleke has “nothing to offer.” That’s rich, coming from a camp that oversaw a stagnated state economy and unpaid salaries all while pretending to be technocrats. Adeleke may not speak the Queen’s English like your polished friends in Abuja, but he has managed to pay salaries on time, expand infrastructure in places your government neglected, and yes connect with ordinary people in a way your side never could.

You speak of “embarrassing optics” but what could be more embarrassing than parading yourselves as political messiahs after suffering back-to-back electoral disgrace?

APC’s Real Problem Is Internal, Not External

Let’s be brutally honest: APC in Osun is not suffering because Adeleke is doing well. It is suffering because the party has failed to do its homework. Oyetola’s reign alienated key power blocs, including the foundational structure laid by Aregbesola. His cold war with his own predecessor fractured the base and gifted Adeleke the momentum.

Rather than accept that the failure to unify the APC and the arrogance of ignoring warnings led to the 2022 loss, Omipidan and his ilk continue to chase shadows and cry wolf. The voters are watching. And they’ve seen through the charade.

Conclusion: Save the Sermon, Fix Your House

Omipidan, your political sermon is not only stale, it’s misplaced. If your concern is truly for Osun’s future, start by fixing the rift within the APC. Engage Aregbesola with humility, not bitterness. Acknowledge that Adeleke for all his flaws has earned his place. And stop pretending that Osun politics revolves around who you personally like or dislike.

You may not rank Governor Adeleke in your “First Eleven,” but fortunately, elections aren’t decided by pundits in Abuja or party men with inflated egos they’re decided by the people. And the people have spoken. Twice.

If the APC doesn’t want to remain in political wilderness, it needs to stop writing open letters to ghosts and start listening to the voices it pushed away. Starting with Rauf Aregbesola.