The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized broadcaster and actor Yemi Shodimu for what it describes as disparaging remarks about opposition parties in the state, suggesting he is out of touch with the political landscape.
In a statement from Chief Kola Olabisi, the APC’s Director of Media and Information, the party expressed a desire for Ogun State, Shodimu’s home, to have a governor like Senator Ademola Adeleke in the future.
Shodimu reportedly praised Adeleke during the 80th birthday celebration of Chief Olayiwola Amoje in Lagos on Tuesday, noting that the governor has used “dance to distract his political opponents in Osun State.” He remarked, “I am not flattering you, Your Excellency. Your opponents think you can only dance, but while they are busy shouting and calling you ‘Dancing Governor,’ you are fulfilling your electoral promises to the people.”
The APC responded by labeling Shodimu’s comments as “bizarre” and “undiplomatic,” arguing that it was inappropriate to turn a celebration for a respected figure into a platform for partisan criticism. The party suggested that Shodimu’s remarks could be motivated by a desire for political patronage under Adeleke’s administration, which it described as “visibly embattled.”
The statement continued, “It is strange that someone from Ogun State, unfamiliar with Osun’s political intricacies, would position himself as a biased evaluator of our state’s political landscape.”
The APC urged Shodimu to openly identify with a political party instead of using public events to denigrate opposition parties. “The Osun APC is solid and intact, and no one can distract us,” the statement read.
The party added that it remains undeterred in its goals for the 2026 gubernatorial and 2027 national elections, dismissing Shodimu’s comments as part of a “campaign of calumny.”
In response, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, media aide to Governor Adeleke, has also addressed the APC’s criticisms.
