“I Advised You Against Resigning,” Mrs. Ajimobi Blasts Adelabu Over Ministerial Exit

The political landscape in Oyo State was jolted on Sunday as the former First Lady, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, reportedly lambasted the outgoing Minister, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, over his decision to resign from the Federal Executive Council.

The confrontation occurred during a high-stakes, closed-door meeting at Mrs. Ajimobi’s Abuja residence, convened to address the widening cracks within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election. In a moment that stunned those in attendance—including former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, and party chieftain, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle—Mrs. Ajimobi pointedly told the Minister, “I advised you against resigning.”

The remark, as reported by Western Daily News, served as a direct indictment of Adelabu’s political strategy. While Adelabu has maintained that his exit, effective Tuesday, April 30, 2026, is a “calculated sacrifice” to focus on his gubernatorial ambitions, the former First Lady’s outburst suggests that the party’s “Progressive” inner circle views the move as a strategic blunder that abandons federal influence for an uncertain local race.

The tension escalated as the meeting devolved into a seniority battle between the two main aspirants. Senator Folarin reportedly argued that the party’s ticket should be determined by age and experience, noting he is seven years older than the Minister. Adelabu, however, stood his ground, citing his years of personal sacrifice and financial investment in the party’s structure as the primary justification for his candidacy.

Compounding the crisis is the rising profile of the incumbent Oyo South Senator, Sharafadeen Alli. Sources indicate that the gathering was a strategic attempt to forge a unified front against Alli’s growing momentum, but the session ended in a deadlock instead. The friction reportedly became so intense that Mrs. Ajimobi briefly excused herself from the room, leaving the warring gladiators to their own devices.

With Adelabu set to formally exit his office tomorrow, the public rebuke from the influential Ajimobi bloc signals a rocky start for his return to the grassroots. As the center fails to hold between the party’s heavyweights, the APC’s path to the Agodi Government House in 2027 appears increasingly fractured.