Thirteen registered political parties in Osun State have rejected the appointment of a caretaker committee for the state chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
IPAC serves as the umbrella body for political parties in the country.
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on behalf of the aggrieved parties, the chairman of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Tosin Odeyemi, described the appointment of the caretaker committee as a “joke taken too far.”
Odeyemi recalled that the IPAC national leadership was unable to conduct elections into vacant positions in the Osun chapter after the tenure of the immediate past chairman, Victor Akande, who also chairs the Accord Party in the state, expired.
He explained that Akande sought another term despite leading the ruling party in the state, while he, as the then Osun chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had also declared interest in contesting for the chairmanship.
“On the scheduled date of the election, March 14, 2026, the process was stalled. The disruption was attributed to the absence of committee members mandated to conduct the election. The National Organising Secretary of IPAC, Chinyere O. Kalu, later informed stakeholders that the election had been postponed and that a new date would be communicated in due course.
“Since then, there has been no further communication from the IPAC National Secretariat. The state secretariat is not functioning, and there is effectively nowhere to direct official correspondence. But to our chagrin, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) saddled with the responsibilities of promoting and sustaining a free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful electoral environment in Nigeria, turned itself to a willing tools in the hands of politicians.
“National body of IPAC de-emphasised the values of tolerance, accommodation, and teamwork in the planning and organisation of political competition, all aimed at strengthening and deepening Nigeria’s democratic process, they went ahead, without carrying any stakeholders along, in putting in place a caretaker committee for Osun. This won’t stand,” Odeyemi said.
He listed the political parties opposing the caretaker committee as the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Zenith Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, National Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, Democratic Leadership Alliance, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Alliance and African Action Congress.
Odeyemi questioned the rationale behind constituting a caretaker committee when the IPAC Constitution does not provide for such an arrangement. He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard the committee.
The leadership crisis follows the inconclusive election for a new IPAC executive in Osun State after officials assigned by the national secretariat failed to appear for the exercise.
The election, organised by a committee from the IPAC national secretariat in Abuja, was scheduled to take place at the Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo.
By about 11 a.m., all 19 registered political party chairmen had arrived and signed the attendance register at the INEC premises. However, as of 2:14 p.m., the election had yet to commence because members of the committee responsible for conducting the exercise were absent.
