Tension is mounting in Osun State's political arena following Governor Ademola Adeleke’s dramatic endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027 — all while pledging his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor made the declaration during a stakeholders’ meeting attended by influential PDP figures, including former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, Senator Lere Oyewumi (Osun East), Osun PDP chairman Sunday Bisi, and former PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.
In a communique issued after the high-level meeting, the party stated:
“The PDP in Osun State recognises the fact that Osun State is the ancestral home of President Bola Tinubu, which makes the President the son of Osun State. Therefore, the PDP in Osun State hereby adopts and endorses President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in the 2027 presidential election.”
The meeting also reaffirmed Adeleke’s candidacy for a second term in the 2026 Osun governorship election on the PDP platform, squashing months of speculation about a possible defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the endorsement of Tinubu while remaining in the PDP has provoked sharp criticism from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Charles Omidiji, the Osun State chairman of the ADC — a party now fronted by former Governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim national secretary — accused Adeleke of political double-speak.
According to Omidiji:
“If he doesn’t join the APC again, it will only reduce the margin of the loss awaiting him at the poll. If he had defected, that would have been the end of both the APC and PDP in Osun. But whatever happens, ADC will produce the next Osun governor.”
Explaining Adeleke’s decision to stay put in the PDP despite rumored defection plans, the communique noted internal opposition from both the APC and PDP camps.
“Some APC leaders, based on entrenched interests, have demonstrated hostility and resentment towards Governor Ademola Adeleke. Some went on social media and national television to call him unprintable names,” it stated.
It added that while many PDP members initially opposed Adeleke’s rumored defection, they had agreed to follow him regardless of his political decision — a testament to their loyalty and support.
The governor’s dual allegiance — backing Tinubu while rooted in PDP — has now added a new layer of intrigue to Osun’s fast-evolving political chessboard.
