Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh leadership crisis has engulfed the Osun State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) as thirteen registered political parties have rejected the appointment of a caretaker committee by the council's national leadership, describing the move as unconstitutional, biased, and a gross violation of democratic principles. The aggrieved parties, speaking through a coalition led by the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), have demanded the immediate resignation of the IPAC National Executive Committee (NEC) and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard the caretaker committee and suspend recognition of the Osun IPAC chapter until a substantive leadership is elected through a free and fair process.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Saturday, August 1, 2026, the DLA Chairman, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, described the purported appointment of a caretaker committee for Osun IPAC as a "joke taken too far." Odeyemi traced the origins of the crisis to the expiration of the tenure of the immediate past Osun IPAC Chairman, Pastor Victor Akande of the Accord Party, in February 2026. According to him, the IPAC national body was expected to conduct an election to fill vacant positions in the state chapter, but the exercise scheduled for March 14, 2026, was aborted after officials mandated to oversee the process failed to appear at the venue. He recalled that the National Organising Secretary of IPAC, Chinyere O. Kalu, subsequently informed stakeholders that the election had been postponed and that a new date would be communicated. However, Odeyemi lamented that no further communication was received from the IPAC National Secretariat, leaving the state chapter without a functional leadership for months.
The coalition expressed dismay that IPAC, an organisation established to promote free, fair, credible, and inclusive democratic environments, had allegedly allowed itself to be manipulated by political interests. They accused the national body of sidelining local stakeholders and bypassing the values of tolerance, accommodation, and teamwork to impose a biased caretaker committee. The aggrieved parties specifically questioned the constitutional basis for such an arrangement, insisting that the IPAC Constitution makes no provision for a caretaker committee. Odeyemi noted that the national leadership had de-emphasised the core values of the council, adding: "National body of IPAC de-emphasised the values of tolerance, accommodation, and teamwork in the planning and organisation of political competition, all aimed at strengthening and deepening Nigeria's democratic process, they went ahead, without carrying any stakeholders along, in putting in place a caretaker committee for Osun. This won't stand".
The coalition further alleged that the composition of the caretaker committee reflected a blatant political bias, claiming that eight out of nine members of the IPAC National Executive nominated their respective party chairmen in Osun into the committee while excluding other registered political parties. They specifically questioned the appointment of the Action Peoples Party (APP) Chairman in Osun State, Odesola Oluseyi Titus, as chairman of the caretaker committee, alleging that the decision was influenced by the party's perceived closeness to the ruling party in the state. Odeyemi told journalists: "Eight out of nine members of the national IPAC executive forced certain Osun party chairmen into a skewed Caretaker Committee while neglecting others. If the National Executive Committee finds it too difficult to conduct an election for just 22 members, do we have the moral right to blame INEC for any perceived electoral failures in Nigeria?". He also faulted the national leadership's justification that the caretaker committee was formed due to "political tension" in Osun ahead of the August 15 governorship election, pointing out that INEC had not declared the political atmosphere unsafe, which made the claim unfounded.
Odeyemi listed the thirteen political parties that have rejected the caretaker committee, including the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Zenith Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, National Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, Democratic Leadership Alliance, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Alliance and African Action Congress. The coalition maintained that the only acceptable solution is the conduct of a transparent and credible election to produce a new state executive, and they urged INEC to distance itself from the Osun chapter of IPAC until a legitimate leadership emerges through a credible electoral process, especially with the August 15 governorship election drawing near. The aggrieved parties also called on the IPAC National Executive Committee, led by National Chairman Dr. Yusuf Dantalle and National Secretary Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, to resign, accusing them of incompetence, insensitivity, and disregard for democratic principles. In a direct challenge to the caretaker committee's legitimacy, Odeyemi declared: "We received, with utmost surprise, the composition of the Caretaker Executives of Inter-Party Advisory Council for Osun State by our National Executives. The letter purportedly signed by the National Chairman and Secretary of IPAC was a joke taken too far".
In a swift counter-response, the caretaker committee chairman, Odesola Oluseye Titus, called on INEC to disregard Odeyemi's claims, insisting that he lacked the legal authority to speak for IPAC. Addressing journalists on Saturday, Titus alleged that Odeyemi was not affiliated with any recognised political party, pointing to his resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the absence of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) on INEC's portal. He maintained that the caretaker committee was necessary to prevent a leadership vacuum ahead of the governorship election and assured stakeholders that IPAC's activities would continue without disruption. However, the aggrieved parties have stood their ground, insisting that the caretaker committee is illegal and dead on arrival. As the Osun governorship election approaches, the IPAC leadership crisis has added a new layer of political tension, with the coalition vowing not to recognise the caretaker committee and demanding a fresh election to restore legitimacy to the council.
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