Former Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Mohammed Kola Balogun, has alleged that some political actors who worked against his return to the Senate are now battling the consequences of their actions amid the growing crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
Balogun made the remarks during an interview on ‘Gbangba Lasaata’, a socio-political and current affairs programme aired on Splash FM 105.5 and hosted by veteran broadcaster Abiodun Adewole, popularly known as “Mr. Double A.”
The former lawmaker, who represented Oyo South between 2019 and 2023, said he had shown interest in returning to the Senate but was politically sidelined and deceived by certain forces within the system.
According to him, those behind the alleged political manoeuvres are now experiencing internal challenges and setbacks within the party.
“I came out for Oyo South senatorial, but I was dribbled. I was deceived. But those that deceived me are now being deceived as we speak. Nobody will dribble me and not get dribbled. They are few like this, but they are now meeting their Waterloo,” Balogun said.
His comments come at a time when the Oyo State chapter of the APC is battling internal disagreements following the recently concluded party primaries, which have generated protests and grievances among some aspirants and their supporters.
Speaking on the development, Balogun described post-primary disputes as a common feature of democratic politics, noting that political disagreements were not peculiar to the APC.
“Given the level of political development in the past, it used to be worse than this. The aggrieved ones would go to the appeal committee to express themselves. It is not just the same in APC; the system is everywhere. There must be some fallout when we have such process,” he stated.
Despite the ongoing tensions within the party, the former senator expressed confidence in the APC’s internal conflict resolution mechanism, saying the party would eventually reconcile aggrieved members ahead of the 2027 elections.
“He is entitled to every step he wants to take, but APC has its own peculiar conflict resolution mechanism. At some point, the mechanism will be put in place and all conflicts will be resolved,” he added.
Balogun further stressed that members of the APC remain committed to reclaiming the Oyo State Government House in 2027.
“As a party, we have a reason to ensure APC returns to Government House,” he said.
When asked whether he would still consider contesting for any elective office in the next election cycle, Balogun declined to give a definite answer, saying politics remains unpredictable.
“If you ask me today, I will tell you no, I’m not contesting. Don’t hold that against me. Twenty-four hours is a lot of time in politics. I won’t say no or yes. Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics,” he said.
The former senator also noted that political relevance should not be determined by the number of times an individual occupies public office but by the impact made while serving.
“It is not how many times you serve; it is what you make of that position,” Balogun added.
