An Open Letter to Papa John Odigie-Oyegun: A Time for Reflection

By Babafemi Ojudu 

Papa John Oyegun,

Domo Sir,

I watched my friend and compatriot in the struggle for democracy, Bashorun Dele Momodu, speak glowingly about you on television this morning.

He meant well. In his usual passionate manner, he presented you as a symbol of hope and renewal in Nigeria’s political space—as a leading light in the emerging opposition.

But while his intentions were noble, his conclusion was flawed. Not out of mischief, but perhaps out of an incomplete grasp of your role in the events that brought us to where we are today. His remarks left me deeply unsettled.

I debated whether to write this letter. At first, I considered calling you privately. But this is bigger than personal concern. It is a matter of national consequence. The young Nigerians watching today’s political actors must not be misled by revisionist narratives or unearned reputations. They deserve the truth—plain and unvarnished.

Let me be clear, upfront and without ambiguity: this is not an attack on the African Democratic Congress (ADC), nor is it an attempt to discredit the idea of a new opposition. Far from it. I am not a member of the ADC, but I strongly believe that Nigeria urgently needs a credible, principled opposition. A democracy without alternatives is no democracy at all.

One of the reasons I write this letter publicly is to also send a clear message to the ADC: you must learn from the past. If you truly intend to be different, then you must understand the mistakes that brought the ruling party to its knees. You cannot welcome key architects of dysfunction without demanding accountability and honest reckoning. Otherwise, you risk replicating the very failures you claim to stand against.

What I write today is not a partisan letter. It is a patriotic one. My concern is not with the ADC—it is with people like you, Papa, who helped sow the seeds of dysfunction in the ruling party and are now presenting themselves as cleansed elders in the new opposition without any admission of responsibility or reflection on the damage done.

Let’s Talk About APC—And Your Role in Its Decline

You left the APC and joined ADC. And you say it is because of bad governance and lack of internal democracy. But with the deepest respect, Papa, I laugh in Edo.

You were National Chairman of the APC for over four years. You didn’t inherit a broken party. You helped build what it has become. If the party is struggling today, you must own a fair share of the blame. The foundation was flawed, and you laid much of it.

Let us recall 2018. I, Babafemi Ojudu, sought the APC ticket to run for Governor of Ekiti State. Aspirants were made to pay exorbitant fees—fees that locked out many qualified but less wealthy Nigerians. Still, we submitted ourselves to the process. You set up a screening committee. It did its work and submitted a thorough report.

What did you do? You discarded the report, not because it was wrong, but because it did not favor your preferred candidate. That one decision altered the course of Ekiti politics, with consequences the people still live with today.

Ekiti was not alone. This pattern played out in many other states under your watch. Sir, I respectfully ask—publish those reports. Let Nigerians judge for themselves.

You had the chance to institutionalize due process. Instead, you made it optional. You ignored the APC constitution. You ignored the Electoral Act. You ignored the Nigerian Constitution. In place of integrity, you empowered impunity. And ever since, party primaries have become an expensive farce, open to the highest bidder, including known criminals, fraudsters, and godfathers.

2023: A Missed Opportunity, Again

In 2023, you were given another opportunity to rise above the past as Chairman of the APC Presidential Screening Committee. Many hoped you would use your experience to redeem the process.

I wasn’t so hopeful.

I booked a room near the screening venue at Transcorp Hilton, using my journalistic instincts to observe the proceedings closely. I told those around me: “Given his history, I doubt John Oyegun will do what is fair.”

And I was right.

Again, the committee’s work was buried. Again, Nigerians were denied transparency. Again, we were left to deal with the consequences of unprincipled leadership. Sir, I ask once more: release that screening report. Let the people see how we arrived at the choices that now define our nation’s future.

This Defection Is Not About Nigeria. It’s About You

Now, you’ve jumped to another party. To what end? At nearly 89, what example are you setting? What precedent are you leaving behind?

Let’s be honest. This defection isn’t about democracy. It’s not about saving Nigeria. It’s about reinvention, personal reinvention, not national renewal.

And this, again, is why I write: not to smear ADC, but to urge Nigerians—especially the youth—not to be swept up by appearances or sentimental endorsements. A better Nigeria will not come from recycled reputations or unexamined histories.

Your Political History: A Pattern of Convenience

From APP to ANPP, to ACN, to APC, to SDP, and now ADC. Papa, ki ló dé? Se atijẹ yìí na ni? (What is it, Papa? Is it always about survival?)

You were in a position to reshape politics for good. You could have set standards. You could have elevated leadership. Instead, you chose loyalty to power over principle.

You helped build what the APC became. You presided over flawed primaries. You suppressed internal democracy. You selected loyalty over merit. And now that the house you helped build is cracking, you exit without explanation, without repentance, and without pause.

Final Thoughts: Let History Be the Judge

This letter is not about bitterness. It is about memory. And duty. Some of us will document these events in full, if God spares our lives, not for vindication, but so that those who inherit this country will understand where we failed, and perhaps do better.

I wish you well in your new political home, Papa Oyegun. But please know this: you may change your party, but history remembers your choices. And history, like conscience, is not so easily appeased.

Respectfully,

Babafemi Ojudu