Mr Emmanuel Monyeh, a member of the Atunto Group lOmoba Dotun Babayemi, Emmanuel Moyen, has expressed optimism that his principal, Omo-Oba Dotun Babayemi will secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket, stressing that the campaign is rooted in grassroots engagement and addressing the needs of the masses.
Monyeh said this while featuring on Insightful Moment, adding that the journey so far had been hectic but rewarding.
He said Babayemi’s team has been touring all 332 wards in the state to reconnect the party with the people at the grassroots.
“The journey has been hectic but rewarding, meeting with the actual people across the state. We want to deal directly with the people to know what they need and what they want, and that’s why we’ve been going round the 332 wards to see these issues. We are trying to resuscitate the party so we can know what to do for the people,” he said.
He noted that agriculture and rural infrastructure has been the topmost priority of the message.
“Beauty matters, though, but it would not be needed without filling the stomach. In Osun State, we have a good agricultural system but bad roads in rural areas. Our movement builds pyramids from the base. The priorities of the rural areas should be accessible farmlands and good roads. Omoba Dotun Babayemi is trying to rejuvenate the party, and we also share the pain of the masses. God willing, if we claim the ticket, we will work on the concerns raised by the people and make sure all nooks and crannies of the state are touched developmentally,” he added.
While acknowledging that there are 13 aspirants in the APC, Moyen insisted that Babayemi stood out because of his empathy and intelligence.
“There are 13 aspirants in the APC and they are all qualified to rule the state. The least of them is better than the government we have today. My aspirant has empathy with the people, intelligence to rule, and carries the burden of the masses at heart,” he said.
Speaking on Babayemi’s political journey, he explained that his principal had previously left the APC due to power play but had returned to strengthen the party.
“He joined from AD and moved with them into the APC. Leaving the party then was as a result of some power play, but he has retraced his step to the party,” Moyen explained.
He emphasized that politics is about contest, resilience, and solutions.
“Politics is the ultimate thing of citizenship. When you have a contest, you have to question every step because everyone is eyeing the same position you are vying for. Politics is about tribulations and solutions. You try to contest at every level of the judiciary. He never had an issue with the present government,” he stated.
On governance, Moyen said the campaign would balance both urban and rural renewal while ensuring inclusiveness.
“Some believe in urban renewal and others believe in rural renewal. We believe that there can be urban renewal but we also believe it must go along with rural renewal. There has been enough revenue coming in the last two to three years—more than what the former APC government received to run the administration. All we are saying is that we want to do things differently and include everyone in our administration,” he said.
Moyen criticized some of the infrastructure projects under the current government, questioning their economic value.
“I made this analogy some weeks ago: ‘You wash the outside of your bell and leave the inside.’ The roads and infrastructure done by the incumbent administration should be questioned—what economic value do they have? In Kere, Ilesha East, we visited and needed to push our buses and cars onto the road. These places are agricultural societies. Why don’t we recreate our villages and keep our people living there in good conditions?” he asked.
On the local government crisis, Moyen said the matter should have been left to the courts, stressing that APC remained the rightful holder of the council leadership.
“The case has to be challenged in court, but it was truncated. We should allow the court to adjudicate on this matter. The Accountant-General of the Federation and the CBN governor said the money has not been released to the account of the chairmen or any account. As far as I am concerned, the APC are the rightful chairmen of the local governments. It is believed that the local government tenure would end by October 17, 2025. A tenure is elapsing and you don’t recognise the tenure. I know the judgment is going to be in the interest of the country and the state,” he said.
He reiterated that APC is a structured party working to reclaim government in 2026, calling on supporters to channel their energy to the election rather than internal conflicts.
“The APC is a structured party and the only thing we are doing is trying to make sure APC comes back to government first and foremost. The aspirants are not having grudges; they greet, meet, and relate together. But the supporters fighting each other is not acceptable and it’s not supposed to be. We should channel that fighting spirit and power to the next governorship election to defeat the present administration and bring our party back to government,” Monyeh concluded.
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