Oyegun Fires Back as Edo APC Demands N150m “Debt”
A bitter political feud has erupted between the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, over allegations of an unpaid N150 million debt.
The conflict began on Thursday when the Edo APC, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, publicly demanded that Oyegun settle “outstanding loans and accumulated membership dues” allegedly incurred during his years as a member and leader of the party.
The APC claims that Oyegun, who served as the party’s pioneer National Chairman from 2014 to 2018, failed to remit membership dues throughout his time in the party. Additionally, the party alleges he took loans during his tenure that remain unpaid.
“Our records reveal accumulated membership dues which the ADC National Leader refused to pay into the party’s coffers all through the period of his membership of the APC.
“This open demand has become necessary due to the refusal by Chief Oyegun to settle his commitments to the APC, the same party that gave him the platform to tower politically,” Tenebe stated.
Reacting swiftly to the allegations, Chief Oyegun dismissed the claims as “baseless” and “stupid,” attributing the attack to the ruling party’s fear of his new political platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Oyegun, who recently defected to the ADC and has become a vocal critic of the President Bola Tinubu administration, described the demand as a sign of desperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“People will have a good laugh at that. Negative as what they are doing may be, it finally shows that they now know they have problems with the advent of the ADC. They now know they are in trouble,” Oyegun told reporters.
He further accused the Edo APC of degrading the state’s political discourse. “They have dragged Edo State down into the mud.
The only thing they can do is violence and unnecessary attacks. Instead of thinking, planning, and strategising, they resort to abusive, stupid statements.”
Dr. Isaiah Osifo, a political aide to Oyegun, also fired back, questioning the moral authority of the Edo APC Chairman to make such demands.
“Jarrett Tenebe does not have the moral or societal status to dent the internationally recognised integrity of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,” Osifo stated, reminding the party that it was Oyegun’s integrity that helped secure victory for the APC in 2015.
The clash underscores the rising political tension in Edo State and the broader realignment of forces as opposition parties attempt to coalesce ahead of the next election cycle.
