A leadership dispute has surfaced within the African Democratic Congress in Oyo State as two factions claim control of the committee responsible for the party’s membership revalidation and registration exercise.
The disagreement came to public attention on Wednesday in Ibadan during the ongoing membership exercise across the state.
The conflict centres on the Membership Revalidation and Membership Registration Committee, which is responsible for coordinating the process of confirming existing members and registering new ones.
The situation became more complicated when different groups within the party began presenting separate leadership claims for the committee.
During a press briefing held at the ADC secretariat in Mokola, Ibadan, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Bimpe Adelowo, stated that the official committee recognised by the party is the one led by Ayo Akinyemi as chairman, with Professor Folake Tafita serving as secretary.
According to her, these officials remain the only persons recognised by the party’s national leadership to oversee the exercise in Oyo State.
Adelowo explained that the committee was formally inaugurated by the party’s national leadership in Abuja on February 12, 2026, and was given the responsibility of supervising the membership revalidation and fresh registration exercise throughout the state.
She added that the committee includes representatives drawn from the three senatorial districts in Oyo State.
The clarification followed an earlier development involving Bisi Ilaka, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Ilaka had earlier announced a separate committee and presented the names of ten additional members whom he described as part of the body responsible for the exercise.
Reacting to that announcement, the state party leadership maintained that the only committee recognised by the national structure of the party is the one headed by Akinyemi.
Party officials stated that any other group claiming to perform the same function does not have the approval of the party leadership.
Adelowo also noted that the ADC in the state is open to individuals from all backgrounds and urged members of the party to work together in order to strengthen its structure.
She called on members involved in the disagreement to return to the party structure and cooperate with the officially recognised committee.
Providing details on the progress of the exercise, Akinyemi explained that the membership revalidation and registration process has been ongoing since the committee’s inauguration.
He said the committee had already begun coordinating activities across the state in line with the mandate given by the national leadership.
According to him, part of the preparation for the exercise included a training session organised by the state committee on February 21, 2026.
The training involved representatives from the 33 local government areas of Oyo State and was aimed at preparing them for the membership registration process within their respective areas.
Despite the dispute over committee leadership, the membership revalidation and registration exercise continues as the party works to strengthen its structure and expand its membership base in the state.