Tensions flared in Osun State on Tuesday following the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid by Governor Ademola Adeleke, former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and key leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The endorsement, contained in a communiqué released after a high-level PDP stakeholders’ meeting, also reaffirmed Adeleke’s commitment to remain in the PDP, quashing weeks of speculation about a possible defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the development sparked outrage from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which accused Adeleke of political inconsistency and declared that his support for Tinubu would not secure him a second term in the 2026 Osun governorship election.
The communiqué, shared with journalists after the meeting, confirmed the PDP’s backing of both President Tinubu and Governor Adeleke. Present at the gathering were top political figures including Oyinlola, Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, Senator Lere Oyewumi (Osun East), Osun PDP chairman Sunday Bisi, and former PDP National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo.
The communiqué stated: “The PDP in Osun State recognises the fact that Osun is the ancestral home of President Bola Tinubu, making him a son of the soil.
Therefore, the PDP in Osun hereby adopts and endorses President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027.”
It also endorsed Governor Adeleke as the party’s sole candidate for the 2026 governorship election: “The PDP in Osun reaffirms its adoption and endorsement of Governor Ademola Adeleke for re-election on the platform of the party. All members are urged to remain in the PDP and propagate this resolution across party structures.”
In a swift reaction, Osun ADC chairman, Charles Omidiji, criticised Adeleke’s stance, claiming it would not save him from electoral defeat: “If he doesn’t join the APC, it will only narrow the margin of his loss. Had he defected, it would have meant the collapse of both the APC and PDP in Osun. Either way, the ADC will produce the next governor.”
Omidiji emphasized the growing strength of the ADC, which counts ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola as its Interim National Secretary.
On why Adeleke chose not to defect to the APC despite mounting speculation, the PDP communiqué explained: “Majority of APC members in Osun strongly opposed Adeleke’s defection, which did not originate from the governor.
Certain APC leaders, driven by personal interests, openly attacked Adeleke on social and national media.
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Although many PDP members were displeased with the idea of his defection, they reluctantly pledged to follow him wherever he goes, out of loyalty to his leadership.”
With political realignments underway, Osun’s 2026 gubernatorial and Nigeria’s 2027 presidential elections are already shaping up to be fierce battlegrounds.
