The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has extended the tenure of the Osun State Working Committee led by Sooko Tajudeen Lawal till after the 2027 general election.
The decision was taken during the party’s retreat held at the weekend in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The extension means that Sooko Lawal and members of his State Working Committee will continue to pilot the affairs of the party in Osun through the next general election cycle.
Sources at the retreat said the move was part of the national leadership’s strategy to ensure stability and continuity in state chapters ahead of the 2027 polls, avoiding internal wrangling that often accompanies congresses close to a general election.
Lawal has led the party since 2022, when the former chairman and late Owa of Igbajo, Oba Gboyega Famodun, vacated the office.
He served in an acting capacity between November 2022 and June 27, 2023, when he was affirmed as the substantive chairman of the APC in Osun.
Meanwhile, the party has commenced moves to restore harmony and cohesion in five of its troubled state chapters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The states are Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Benue and Niger, where the party has been hit by litigations, defections and threats of defection following disputes arising from governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly primaries.
The National Working Committee (NWC) has sent delegations to the affected chapters to resolve the crises.
During the party’s retreat in Borno, the national leadership carried out a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the APC across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as part of preparations for the polls.
Disclosing this, the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said the retreat, for the first time, brought together members of the NWC and the National Executive Committee (NEC) to deliberate on the party’s readiness.
According to him, both organs agreed that reconciliation of aggrieved members remains a major plank of the party’s preparations for 2027.
He said: “In the NWC, winning elections is our work. There were robust discussions on how to strengthen the party where we are weak and consolidate where we are strong.
“We also accord priority to reconciliation. We have been to Oyo and Niger. We have identified Benue, Kwara and Osun. NWC has resolved to send representations. We have also made recommendations to the president.”
The APC noted that in Osun, the party went into the August governorship election as a divided house and became more polarized after its defeat by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord, stressing that the unfinished business of reconciliation cannot be taken with levity.
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