The Action Group Crisis started at the party’s executive meeting in 1961. The crisis was caused by the personality dispute between the leader of the party, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his deputy, Chief S. L. Akintola who was also the premier of the Western region.
Another factor that also contributed to the Action Group crisis was that while Akintola, Ayo Rosiji and some others favoured the AG’s cooperation with the NPC controlled federal government, Awolowo was against this arid preferred cooperating with the NCNC to remove the NPC from power.