The Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Oyo State has officially announced Hon. Ajayi Taiwo Oluwole as its chairmanship candidate for the forthcoming Local Government elections in Itesiwaju Local Government Area.
The announcement was made on Sunday at the Local Government Service Training Hall, Secretariat, Ibadan, during an expanded meeting of the party’s leadership and critical stakeholders chaired by Governor Seyi Makinde.
The endorsement followed an earlier unanimous resolution by the PDP/APM alliance leadership in Itesiwaju Local Government, which nominated Ajayi as the consensus candidate after extensive consultations and deliberations among party leaders across the council area.
According to the resolution, the party adopted the zoning arrangement operating in the local government, with the chairmanship ticket ceded to Zone A, comprising Otu, Komu, Igbojaye and Babaode, in view of the fact that the incumbent chairman is from Zone B.
Party leaders explained that after reviewing the zoning formula, three wards—Wards 01, 04 and 09—were identified as eligible to produce the candidate.
Following consultations among the affected wards, Wards 01 and 09 voluntarily stepped down in favour of Komu Ward 04.
The leadership of Ward 04 subsequently presented Hon. Ajayi Taiwo Oluwole as its preferred aspirant, a decision that was unanimously ratified and endorsed by leaders from all the wards in the local government.
The nomination was the outcome of an emergency meeting of party leaders held on August 1, where stakeholders resolved to adopt a consensus approach aimed at strengthening unity and ensuring the party enters the local government election as a united front.
The resolution was coordinated under the supervision of the Itesiwaju Local Government Alliance Chairman, Hon. Salau Nurudeen Alowonle, with two leaders from each ward participating in the deliberations.
Speaking during the stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, party leaders expressed confidence in Ajayi’s capacity to provide effective grassroots leadership and consolidate the developmental strides of the PDP/APM alliance in Itesiwaju Local Government.
They urged party members to remain united and mobilise support for the chairmanship candidate and other party candidates ahead of the council poll, stressing that unity, discipline and grassroots engagement would be crucial to the party’s success at the elections.
The official presentation of Ajayi’s candidature at the state stakeholders’ meeting is expected to formally pave the way for the commencement of campaigns across Itesiwaju Local Government as the PDP/APM alliance intensifies preparations for the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State.