Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday inaugurated a 344-member campaign council for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, amid the absence of Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Gboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Gatekeepers News reports that several other prominent APC leaders in the state were also absent from the inauguration held in Osogbo, the state capital, as Adeleke formally commenced mobilisation for Tinubu’s second term ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Those absent included Tajudeen Lawal, the Osun APC chairman; Timothy Owoeye, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly; and Oluwole Oke, lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency.
Hours before the event, the Osun APC had said it was not informed by the governor’s camp about the inauguration, describing the development as an attempt to create division within the party in the state.
However, some national party officials and former officeholders attended the event, including Adebisi Akande, former governor of Osun; Ajibola Basiru, APC national secretary; and Iyiola Omisore, a former national secretary of the party.
‘No Ambition Is Greater Than Tinubu’s Re-election’
Speaking at the inauguration, Basiru urged APC stakeholders to put aside their differences and work with Adeleke to secure victory for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“Everybody who matters in Osun politics is here today. As national secretary of the APC, I am, by my position, the most senior political officeholder in southern Nigeria today,” Basiru said.
He said Tinubu’s decision to appoint Adeleke as the presidential campaign coordinator in Osun should be respected by party members, regardless of their personal ambitions or political disagreements.
“It is in President Tinubu’s wisdom that he chose Governor Adeleke as his campaign coordinator in Osun. For us in Osun state, irrespective of our feelings, ambitions and scheming, we must abide by the vision of President Bola Tinubu and support Governor Ademola Adeleke to be successful in this exercise,” he said.
Basiru appealed to political stakeholders across the state to cooperate with the governor and support the president’s re-election bid.
“I want to plead with all of us in Osun to come together and work with our governor, irrespective of our political party, and support him to deliver a massive victory for the President.
“There is no ambition or ego that is greater than ensuring President Bola Tinubu is re-elected. It is very imperative for us to support the President to succeed for a second term,” he added.
The APC national secretary also noted that increased resources available to subnational governments had improved their capacity to meet expenditure obligations.
“Today, the resources now available to sub-nationals, like Osun, have made it possible for us to meet our current expenditure,” he said.
Adeleke Targets More Than 1.5 Million Votes for Tinubu
In his remarks, Adeleke said the campaign council’s primary objective was to mobilise more than the 1.5 million votes previously promised to Tinubu.
The governor described the alliance involving the Accord, APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structures in Osun as a “rainbow coalition” capable of delivering a decisive victory for the president.
He urged council members to mobilise voters and work collectively towards achieving the target, stressing that the alliance was limited to the presidential election.
“From the pain of the past, we must unite for the prosperity of the future. From unity in diversity, we must forge a new brotherhood behind our leader, Asiwaju Tinubu,” Adeleke said.
He explained that the coalition was formed specifically to support Tinubu’s re-election and did not prevent participating political groups from backing their respective candidates in legislative elections.
“Our coalition is solely about Mr President, a man who means so much to Osun State and Nigeria. Our alliance is about the presidential election, in which we have all agreed to support the re-election of President Tinubu,” he said.
Adeleke added that coalition members remained free to support their respective party candidates in elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.
“What ties us together is the presidential, not the legislative elections,” he said.
Adeleke Says Talks on Osun LG Crisis Advanced
The governor also disclosed that discussions between the federal and state governments aimed at resolving the lingering local government crisis in Osun had reached an advanced stage.
“Having made the above clarifications, I want to assure you that both the federal and state governments are working to resolve the local government crisis as early as possible. Discussion has reached an advanced stage. Our dear state should expect good news very soon,” he said.
