Akin Ogunbiyi, an aspirant for the All Progressives Congress ticket for Osun West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, has said he remains committed to the party, insisting that those trying to set him against President Bola Tinubu and other APC leaders have failed.
His clarification follows a viral video circulating on social media in which he was heard making remarks interpreted as critical of the APC and some of its leaders.
In the footage, Ogunbiyi, while addressing party members, was seen alleging that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke would have joined the APC if the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, had not opposed the move.
In a statement released in Osogbo on Tuesday, the former governorship aspirant and chairman of Mutual Benefits Assurance expressed concern that his political opponents were attempting to distort his comments to create tension within the party.
He alleged that the video was deliberately edited and circulated online, stressing that his relationship with President Bola Tinubu, Oyetola, and the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, remains strong.
“I understand the concern of some of the genuine members and supporters of our dear party who initially felt aggrieved with the portion of the event but outrightly shifted their position after they had listened to the full recorded video of the event.
“Further investigation revealed that the sponsors of the campaign of the calumny against my person took to their mischievous route in order to create a wedge between me and one of the most hardworking Presidents in the world, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the immediate-past governor of our state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and the governor-in-waiting, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
“The demonic act of my political foes against my person which has fallen flat as it lacks substance would not prevent me from investing my best in all known constitutional ramifications to the re-election bid of President Tinubu and the forthcoming governorship election of my dear brother, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji,” Ogunbiyi said.
Meanwhile, the Osun APC has defended Ogunbiyi, urging the public to disregard the viral video. Party spokesperson Kola Olabisi alleged that the footage was being circulated by members of the Accord Party, describing them as “failed political entities.”
