A dispute has broken out among youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun West Senatorial District over claims that signatures were forged on a communiqué advocating the zoning of the party’s 2026 governorship ticket to the district.
At least 40 youth leaders from five local government areas; Ola-Oluwa, Isokan, Ede North, Ede South, and Ayedire accuse some party members of falsifying their signatures on the document.
Speaking to journalists, Alimi Bakare, one of the aggrieved leaders, said the communiqué misrepresented the position of many youth leaders.
“We never signed any document supporting the zoning of the governorship ticket to Osun West. Not all youth leaders attended the meeting, and many signatures were forged,” he said.
Bakare added that in Ede North, a single person signed on behalf of all ten youth leaders and appealed to the party hierarchy to prioritise competence over zoning.
Other youth leaders, including Amos Amindiya (Ola-Oluwa), Raji Rafiu (Isokan), and Idris Aderibigbe, alleged that some leaders were pressured into endorsing the zoning move instead of supporting the most qualified aspirant.
However, the Osun West APC leader, Imran Mojeed, rejected the forgery claims, insisting all youth leaders present at the meeting signed voluntarily.
“We all agreed to seek the zoning of the governorship ticket to Osun West, and there is video evidence to confirm this,” he said.
Mojeed accused dissenting youth leaders of attempting to create confusion for personal reasons.
“Those opposing us are only two LCDA youth leaders, not representatives of the main councils. Some even tried to bribe our members to change their stance, but our members refused,” he alleged.
He clarified that the communiqué simply reinforced an earlier appeal by the Osun West Senatorial Chairman of the APC, Gbenga Omolaoye, asking the party leadership to consider the district for zoning.
“We did not push for any particular candidate from Osun West,” Mojeed said.
“We only highlighted that capable hands exist in our district.”
