Hon. Demola Ijabiyi is the convener of the PBAT Mandate Elders Forum in Ondo State. He speaks with HAKEEM GBADAMOSI on the current crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the party’s congress, the way out, among other issues.
What do you believe prompted the invasion of the APC secretariat and the attack on the party’s chairman?
My impression when it happened was quite frightening. I was in the hall and was the last person there when it started. I deliberately stayed back and did not join the crowd, so I was able to hear what the attackers were saying. They were shouting, “We don’t want BTO here. No BTO here. If you are here for Aiyedatiwa, you can stay.”When I heard that, it sent jitters down my spine. We had gone there not as BTO’s representatives or as the governor’s representatives, but as party stakeholders invited by the state chairman of the party to participate in a meeting with officials who had come to conduct the ward congresses. That was the only reason I was there. Once I heard the shouting and realised they were targeting BTO’s supporters, I knew my life was in danger because I am known to be close to him.
An elderly man fell, and I pretended to be assisting him. I bent down so they would not clearly see my face. What saved me was that the attackers were not regular party members who could easily identify me. I later learnt they were members of the drivers’ union. I supported the injured man, and we both limped out together until we reached the ground floor. I thought I was free at that point and relaxed. As I began to walk away, someone recognised me and shouted my name. They hit and kicked me, but I did not stop or look back; I rushed to my car and left. That is all I know firsthand. It was later that I heard that the chairman had previously met with some people who requested a stakeholders’ meeting.
It was alleged that he contacted the governor and that the governor allegedly encouraged it and said he would attend. At the time of the attack, we were waiting for the governor to arrive. The chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin, arrived and went into the office of the Organising Secretary. While I was still pretending to be injured, the attackers were banging on that door, threatening him and saying it would be his last day and that they were ready to kill him. From what I gathered, they believed the state chairman was pro-BTO and that those of us at the meeting were also pro-BTO. The chairman did not personally invite me; I was informed by someone else that officials from Abuja were coming to conduct the congress, and that was what attracted me. I felt I would love to be there.
Is there any indication of a dispute between Aiyedatiwa and BTO?
What I know, as someone close to BTO who has discussed many issues with him, is that he has never mentioned or discussed any quarrel with the governor with me. However, some people believed to be loyal to the governor have been attacking BTO and manoeuvring, calling for his removal and even petitioning against his certificates despite court decisions and statements from the institutions he attended affirming their authenticity. Those actions are traced to the governor’s camp, and the governor does not restrain his aides. BTO, too, being human, would naturally feel hurt. Likewise, the governor may feel attacked by those perceived to be BTO’s supporters. Even if there is no open quarrel between them, there is ill feeling generated by supporters on both sides. Any attack on the governor will be traced to BTO’s supporters, and the governor will feel the same way. The irony is that you cannot call the two of them together and say you want to settle their differences because neither of them admits there is any quarrel. So what happened during the congress is the escalation of a cold war between the two leaders, to the point that everyone knew something was happening within the party between BTO and Aiyedatiwa.
How do you intend to address the ongoing crisis as the 2027 general election approaches?
That is why the elders of the party petitioned the President and are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene before the situation escalates. We trust his wisdom to resolve the matter. Yes, crisis affects a political party, and our concern is that it should not undermine our mobilisation efforts. Our focus should be on delivering strong support for Tinubu, encouraging greater voter turnout and unity at the grassroots. Division at that level weakens mobilisation. What we are looking at and concerned about is delivering more than 90 percent support for Tinubu in the election. I believe very shortly our leader will put the house in order.
There are claims that the proliferation of Tinubu support groups without proper consultation with the governor triggered the crisis. Do you agree with this view?
On the issue of support groups, BTO did not set out to form these groups. He never formed any support group, but many groups emerged on their own to remain relevant and support the presidential campaign. BTO only chose to support anyone working for Tinubu’s re-election. In doing so, his name naturally became popular, and that popularity was not necessarily by design but a consequence of supporting active groups. The Elders Forum we put together — I was the convener and facilitator — was initiated by me. I approached the governor through a text message on how to mobilise and fund the group because we wanted to mobilise for Tinubu. After many calls without response, I travelled to Abuja to inform him, and he embraced the project. The same applies to other groups. The groups came together to work for Tinubu. This is part of Aiyedatiwa’s fault because when you do not carry people along, they will find accommodation within the system in order to survive. Many of these groups emerged because people felt ignored or neglected. This is one of the reasons we have many of these groups in Ondo, and BTO supports anything done for Tinubu’s re-election. The outcome is that he becomes popular in the state because wherever these groups visit, they acknowledge him and his support.
BTO has helped many politicians remain relevant within the system, and that increased his popularity. Some people think everything BTO does is aimed at becoming governor. In my view, that is premature. We still have about three years to the governorship election, and his immediate priority should be the presidential election. Questions about governorship are still years away. Moreover, constitutional provisions limit tenure, and there are legal questions about eligibility. So why fight over something that is not yet on the table? By contrast, Aiyedatiwa is losing popularity by the day. Look at what happened at the 50th anniversary of the state and his first-year anniversary. As an elder, I am not impressed by his performance. There is no concrete project to point to. How can you spend two years in office without anything to show for it? It is an embarrassment to those of us who call ourselves leaders of this party, and that is diminishing his popularity daily. Look at the stakeholders’ meeting they held — the chairman and officers of the party were not there, whereas by the party’s constitution, the chairman is supposed to convene such a meeting, not the governor.
Do you believe the calls to cancel the congress stem from disagreements over candidate selection for the 2027 general election?
Regarding the parallel congresses, there are two options before the national leadership: cancel them or recognise those conducted in line with the directive to return existing executives. In many areas, the old executives were returned as directed; in others, parallel exercises were held. Ultimately, the national body will decide which to recognise, and that will settle the matter.On candidate selection, we have moved away from indirect primaries. Ideally, party members should decide. While caucuses may discuss names, the final choice rests with members. Struggles for executive positions should not be about controlling delegates, since all members are expected to vote.As an elder, my advice is simple: the leader of the party in the state must be respected and not undermined. At the same time, he should not fight party members, including BTO. Leadership requires accommodation, not confrontation.
What do you see as the way out of the current crisis?
It is troubling that after the attack at the secretariat, there was no public condemnation or outreach to those assaulted, including the chairman who was beaten. His brother was shot and is in hospital, yet there has been no known visit or expression of sympathy. Silence in such circumstances fuels suspicion and deepens division. This is a difficult situation. Rivalry rooted in jealousy is hard to resolve. The only solution is firm intervention by party leaders, mutual respect, restraint, and a commitment to unity for the greater good of the party. The party leadership should intervene and give Aiyedatiwa his due as the leader of the party. He should not be undermined, but he must also be advised not to fight party members, including BTO or any other member. You cannot lead people and at the same time fight them, like what happened to us at the secretariat. How can I be happy that somebody beat me up in my own party when I attended a legitimate meeting and he has not made any comment on it, nor reached out to us or even apologised on behalf of the hoodlums? Nothing. That is one of the things that raises eyebrows and makes people think he is behind it.
How can your party members be treated like that? How can your chairman be beaten and floored in that manner and you have not made any comment, condemned it, visited the chairman, or even invited him to ask about his wellbeing? His brother was shot in Idanre and is still in the hospital. I am not aware that the governor has gone there to visit him. Even for whatever it is worth, that man is the chairman’s brother — the same blood. He should go there to sympathise and say, “I am sorry, Mr Chairman.”But he has kept away, which suggests he is comfortable with the situation. Perhaps he is even pleased that his chairman was beaten. We are talking about the chairman of a party.