A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Aremu Olopoeyan, has reacted to the outcome of the just-concluded bye-election, describing the defeat of Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and his anointed candidate, Mr. Wale Murphy, as a confirmation of their “political inexperience.”
Olopoeyan, in a statement issued in Ibadan, said the result of the election had vindicated his long-held position that both Adelabu and Murphy lacked the political weight to succeed in Oyo State’s competitive political terrain.
“Loser plus loser equals failure. I once said Adelabu and his partner were losers, but now everyone has seen their real personalities,” Olopoeyan said.
The PDP stalwart dismissed Adelabu’s political profile as “shallow,” arguing that his rise in 2019 was tied to the popularity of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. According to him, Adelabu’s subsequent political moves, including his defection to the Accord Party, had failed to yield tangible results.
“Adelabu is just a six-year politician (2019–2025). He is still an amateur in politics. If we look back at the 2019 election, it was the same Ajimobi 2015’s votes he gathered. Even when he defected to Accord, he didn’t have votes of his own for the election, it was the support of Nurudeen Faozey of Oyo Central who had 41,743, Shina Peller and KDD from North and South with over 30 thousand votes each that allowed him to get around 38,357 votes for himself during the governorship election.
” It was unfortunate for Wale Murphy, who had a lot of experience in politics, putting himself under Adelabu with little experience, Olopoeyan noted.
He further advised Adelabu to humble himself and learn the rudiments of politics rather than setting his sights on competing with Governor Seyi Makinde, whom he described as “far ahead” in political experience and acceptability.
“Instead of chasing shadows, he is supposed to humble himself, learn politics properly, and stop rushing. He should not think of chasing people like Seyi Makinde. They are not mates. Makinde started politics over 20 years ago, and he invested heavily before getting to where he is today,” he added.
Olopoeyan emphasized that Makinde’s emergence as governor in 2019 was the product of collective decisions by party leaders and not imposition, stressing that Adelabu needed to understand the dynamics of coalition building and grassroots mobilization if he hoped to remain relevant in Oyo politics.
