Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, stirred controversy after being spotted wearing a cap emblazoned with the logo of the ruling All Progressives Congress during a social event in Ibadan on Tuesday.
The activist attended the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasheed Ladoja,’s first Ramadan lecture since his coronation, where he was filmed greeting the monarch and guest lecturer, Chief Imam of Offa, Sheikh Muyideen Salmon, while wearing the APC-branded cap.
Social Media Erupts Over Political Symbolism
The video quickly went viral, drawing comparisons to separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, with many questioning Igboho’s political alignment.
Some social media users criticised the activist for appearing to align with a party they believe has historically disadvantaged the Yoruba people. User #Jaythrilli wrote:
“Sunday Igboho shamelessly gallivanting with an APC cap on. You can’t be fighting for Yoruba freedom and still dine with the people who impoverished the same Yoruba people. Reason I don’t rate him at all.”
Others defended the move as practical given his prolonged exile. User #daddyfemzy commented:
“You can’t really blame this guy. He was in an asylum, declared wanted by Buhari, dead or alive. The recent APC caucus brokered his return home courtesy of Ladoja. What do you expect? If you were him, won’t you?”
Journey From Exile to Clearance
Igboho fled Nigeria on July 1, 2021, after a raid on his Ibadan residence by the Department of State Services and Nigerian Army, following his campaign to evict armed Fulani herdsmen in the South-West. The raid resulted in the death of three of his aides and the arrest of 13 others.
He subsequently fled to the Benin Republic but was detained at Cotonou Airport for over a year before being released in March 2022. Under the Buhari administration, Igboho was declared wanted, denied a passport, and had his bank accounts frozen despite court rulings in his favour.
Following appeals to President Bola Tinubu’s administration and intervention by prominent monarchs, including the Olubadan of Ibadanland, the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Igboho has now been cleared to return to Nigeria. According to his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, he will be fully reintegrated upon arrival.
