Controversy has erupted within the Oyo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, as two factions of the party laid claim to the leadership of the Membership Revalidation and Membership Registration (MRMR) Committee.

While one faction maintained that Ayo Akinyemi remains the duly recognised Chairman of the MRMR Committee with Prof. Folake Tafita serving as Secretary, another group insisted that Chief Bisi Ilaka, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde, had been appointed to head the committee.

Ilaka had on Monday announced the names of ten additional members of what he described as his committee during a press briefing in Ibadan.

However, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Barrister Bimpe Adelowo, dismissed the claim during a press conference held on Tuesday at the ADC Secretariat in Mokola, Ibadan.

Adelowo affirmed that Akinyemi remains the recognised Chairman of the MRMR Committee in the state, with Tafita serving as the committee’s Secretary.

He stressed that both officials are the duly recognised representatives of the committee in Oyo State and rejected reports suggesting that Ilaka had been appointed chairman.

According to Adelowo, the only committee recognised by the party’s national leadership is the one led by Akinyemi, which was inaugurated on February 12, 2026, in Abuja.

He explained that the committee was properly constituted with representatives drawn from the three senatorial districts of Oyo State and mandated to oversee the membership revalidation and registration exercise.

“There is no other committee saddled with this function in Oyo State. We only know of one committee, and that is the committee whose names were submitted to Abuja,” Adelowo said.

He further noted that the committee was structured to ensure balanced representation across the three senatorial districts, with three members selected from each district, alongside the chairman and secretary who serve as principal officers.

Adelowo added that the composition of the committee reflects the party’s commitment to inclusiveness, noting that members were drawn from different political backgrounds, including the Labour Party, the All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party, the ADC, as well as individuals who are not indigenes of Oyo State.

He urged those involved in parallel activities relating to the membership exercise to desist and instead support the officially recognised structure of the party.

“Anyone that is doing something else should conserve their energy and come back to the fold so that we can push this party forward. It does not pay anyone to sit behind the fence or on the fence and continue to throw tantrum inside in order to distort the progress we are making,” he said.

Adelowo also disclosed that the party had established structures across the 33 local government areas of the state and had made notable progress in strengthening its grassroots presence.

“We have made a lot of progress across the 33 local governments. We have our structures there, and the funny thing is that they are still beckoning on our structures, the local government chairmen of the party, to come and submit the names of our members to them.”

“Only constituted authorities have the power to request for the names of members and not somebody that has not been given any responsibility.”

Adelowo also used the occasion to invite prospective members to join the party as preparations begin ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“So we use this opportunity to encourage all the prospective members to come inside and join the forces here in order to uplift our party and to deliver Oyo State for ADC in 2027.”

Adelowo further noted that the party had taken proactive steps to prepare members for the revalidation and registration exercise even before the formal inauguration of the MRMR Committee.

“You can see that we are a business-minded party. Even before the inauguration of the MRMR Committee in Oyo State, we had a committee in place which had been working to educate our members on how to revalidate and register.”

He explained that the MRMR Committee inaugurated in Abuja had been given a one-month mandate to carry out the exercise across the state.

“This MRMR Committee inaugurated on February 12, 2026 in Abuja has just one month to conduct the exercise. By God’s grace, the mandate of the committee will soon elapse and I know by that time many of our members must have been registered.”

Adelowo also commended the cooperation of the party chairmen across the 33 local government areas of the state, describing the turnout of members for the ongoing exercise as encouraging.

“The MRMR Committee is chaired by Comrade Ayo Akinyemi, with Professor Folake Tafita serving as secretary. Other members include Prince Fatai Adewale Ladigbolu, Hon. Olusola Alade and Asiwaju Kunle Adeogun Mutairu representing Oyo South, while Alhaji Biliaminu Onifade, Alhaji Kabir Adesiyan and Mrs Juliana Igwe represent Oyo Central.

Members representing Oyo North are Hon. Kolawole Ogunleye, Ilufemiloye Daniel Oladele and Dr Adebowale Oke.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the MRMR Committee, Ayo Akinyemi, said the membership revalidation and registration exercise had been progressing steadily across the state since the committee was inaugurated.

“The National MRMR Committee inaugurated our committee on the 12th of February, 2026 in Abuja, with a clear mandate to coordinate and supervise the membership revalidation and fresh registration exercise in Oyo State,” he said.

Akinyemi explained that the committee moved swiftly to establish structures at the grassroots level by inaugurating MRMR committees in all the 33 local government areas on February 16.

“In furtherance of this mandate, on February 21, 2026, the State MRMR Committee organised a comprehensive training session for representatives from all the 33 local government areas.

“During the training, participants were taken through the procedures, guidelines and operational processes for the membership revalidation and registration exercise to ensure uniformity, transparency and efficiency across the state.” (The Nation)