Arapaja and Old Gimmicks of Politics for the Gullible: Akintayo Fires Back Over APC Defection Claims
Arapaja and Old Gimmicks of Politics for the Gullible: Akintayo Fires Back Over APC Defection Claims
Ibadan North-East chairman questions the significance of the reported defections, says youths will play a decisive role in the 2027 elections.
The Chairman of Ibadan North-East Local Government and the Ibadan North East Director General of the APM Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council, Hon. Ibrahim Akintayo, has fired back at Ambassador Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja over claims of a political takeover of Ibadan North-East following the reported declaration of members of Team Arapaja and the Bayo Adelabu Foundation (BAF) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akintayo dismissed the development as nothing extraordinary, alleging that those being celebrated as defectors were already APC members before the latest declaration. He argued that changing political leaders within the same party cannot reasonably be presented as a mass defection or proof that the APC has taken over the local government.
According to him, the real question is whether Arapaja has attracted new supporters from other political parties or merely reorganised people already within the APC.
Taking a swipe at Arapaja’s political influence, the council chairman questioned the grassroots structure the former Oyo State deputy governor had established in Ibadan North-East despite his previous positions as deputy governor and National Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Akintayo maintained that political titles and public declarations do not automatically translate into grassroots support, insisting that claims of dominance must be backed by a demonstrable presence across the local government’s 12 wards.
Akintayo’s position was a direct challenge to the narrative that the reported declaration represented a major setback for the APM in Governor Seyi Makinde’s political base. He maintained that Ibadan North-East could not be declared captured on the strength of headlines and political announcements, arguing that genuine political strength must be measured by a party’s relationship with residents and its ability to mobilise voters beyond familiar political circles.
Looking ahead to 2027, the council chairman warned that politicians who continue to rely on what he described as old political gimmicks risk underestimating a younger generation of voters. He argued that the coming elections would be shaped significantly by youths who are increasingly concerned about economic opportunities, employment, the cost of living and the quality of governance. In his view, political calculations that ignore these realities risk missing the issues that matter most to the electorate.
“The youths will decide this election. This is not the time to rely on old gimmicks of politics meant for the gullible. People are watching, and they will judge political actors by what they have done, what they stand for and what they can offer. You cannot replace genuine grassroots support with political noise,” Akintayo said.
The council chairman also pointed to the economic pressures facing ordinary Nigerians under the APC-led Federal Government, contrasting them with programmes and interventions implemented by the Oyo State Government under Governor Makinde. He maintained that voters would weigh their lived experiences and the performance of different levels of government when making their choices in 2027. For Akintayo, the election is not simply about who can announce the biggest political gathering, but about whose record and plans address the concerns of the people.
Akintayo reaffirmed the APM’s commitment to grassroots engagement across Ibadan North-East, insisting that the reported APC declaration should not be mistaken for an established political takeover.
His message to Arapaja and other political actors was that the 2027 contest would require more than familiar political tactics: voters, particularly young people, would have their say, and claims of political dominance would ultimately face the test of the ballot.