As The New APC Pol. Leader In ALIMOSHO
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally declared Honourable Adebisi Yusuff, popularly known as Bisi Yusuf, as the new political leader of Alimosho, a position once held by Rauf Aregbesola. Since the fall out between President Tinubu and the former Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf, the position of the leader of the APC in Alimosho had been a constant debate. But all of that has been put to rest now. President Tinubu has spoken and made his choice.
The President shocked everyone when he announced Hon. Bisi Yusuf as the new leader in a birthday message to Yusuf on Thursday, describing him as “the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.”
The recognition is viewed in political circles as a direct move to nullify the lingering influence of Aregbesola, Tinubu’s estranged ally.
Aregbesola, a former two-term governor of Osun State and ex-minister of interior, built his political career on the platform of Tinubu’s structure, with Alimosho serving as the bedrock of his grassroots mobilization.
However, after years of partnership, he has defected from Tinubu’s camp and is currently a frontline figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the emerging coalition platform for Tinubu’s opponents ahead of the 2027 elections.
In his message, Tinubu extolled Yusuf as a tested grassroots mobilizer, financial expert, lawmaker, and humanitarian, highlighting his 12-year service in the Lagos State House of Assembly and his leadership in Alimosho.
The president also pointed to Yusuf’s efforts through his foundation, which has provided healthcare and empowerment to vulnerable communities. For years, Yusuf was perceived as operating in the shadows of Aregbesola’s dominance in Alimosho politics.
By elevating him as the new rallying point, Tinubu is effectively repositioning his loyalist to consolidate control in Lagos’ most populous local government area, thereby weakening Aregbesola’s hold.
But unknown to many, the President didn’t just announce Hon. Bisi Yusuf as the new leader of the Mandate Movement, there had been a lot of consultations and reconciliations going on behind the scene. And it took the intervention of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to step in, following the resolution of an 18-month-long internal crisis.
The development marks the end of a prolonged leadership tussle within the influential political bloc. The rift had led to the formation of a parallel structure, a move that fractured party cohesion in the area until it was recently resolved by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Public Relations officer of Alimosho Voice, a pressure group in the Alimosho area, Mr. Alabi Ade, said the crisis had caused significant damage to the political and developmental fortunes of the local government.
He explained that the leadership tussle had not only undermined political unity but had also adversely affected the wellbeing of Alimosho residents.
“Finally, the crisis over who is the authentic Mandate leader in Alimosho has been laid to rest. The blame for political misery, financial misappropriation in governance, and lack of adequate infrastructure in Alimosho lies at the doorstep of the Mandate Movement,” he noted.
Alade and his group urged the lawmaker to lead with inclusivity and engage the opposing faction to foster unity within the APC in Alimosho.
“We once again congratulate Bisi Yusuf on his emergence as the new leader of the Mandate Movement in Alimosho. He should be magnanimous enough to carry Enilolobo’s faction along. Their crisis cost us the presidential election in 2023, which we lost to the Labour Party,” the spokesman added.
The battle for Alimosho has become symbolic in Lagos politics, with its control seen as central to grassroots mobilization and electoral outcomes.
Tinubu’s move signals a decisive attempt to totally reclaim the turf from his former protégé, who is now campaigning against his re-election.
A larger percentage of Aregbesola’s supporters have reportedly switched allegiance to Yusuf, while the rest have aligned with Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State and another political force in the area.
Insiders disclosed that Yusuf, who was the pioneer chairman of Ayobo/Ipaja Local Government Area, attained his current position by leveraging his closeness to two powerful figures—one in Lagos State and the other in the Presidency.
“He has a close rapport with Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila,” according to those in the know.
These associations, combined with Yusuf’s grassroots support, reportedly helped him emerge as the leader of the political caucus with a direct link to the President—the Mandate Movement in Alimosho.
“The position and the clout that comes with it put him in a vantage position to get a lot of things done and help a lot of people,” sources say.
This is a position formerly held by Aregbesola, the political mastermind who installed proxies after he stepped down, according to sources.
Additional information reveals that the former governor’s supporters pitched their tents with other top players in Alimosho—to demonstrate loyalty to the party—after it became clear they had been sidelined due to their principal’s prolonged face-off with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Aregbesola, who leveraged his clout in the area to become a commissioner in Lagos State, Governor of Osun State, and later a minister, has exited the party to form a new political group—Omoluabi Progressives—which is now hobnobbing with opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
The decision was the fallout of a supremacy tussle within the Osun APC that spiraled out of control, culminating in an open face-off between the former minister and the party’s national leadership.
With Aregbesola now out of the APC, Yusuf is said to be solidifying his stature as the next big thing in Alimosho by the day.
One of the factors that helped Bisi Yusuf emerge the new leader is his long standing relationship with President Tinubu. Bisi Yusuf is a man in his 70s, he has known Tinubu closely as members of NADECO.
He explained recently: “I voluntarily decided that I wasn’t going back to the House and I am fulfilled. I am fulfilled in the sense that many of us came and also left. I am very happy with our contributions to the development of the state. I have been in politics as a student unionist, as a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), and also from 1999 till date. Young people are there to take it up. I am not growing younger. A good actor leaves the stage, when the ovation is loudest. There are younger people who can do it better. Nobody is indispensable. There are still a lot of people that can do it. I have left it for them to contribute their quota to the development of the state. Our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the current President of Nigeria, we have come a long way and I will continue to contribute my own quota too.”
–WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
