Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has explained his decision to withdraw support for Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, accusing the incumbent of taking major political decisions without adequately consulting stakeholders.
Oyinlola spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
The former governor said he had previously discussed the political crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with Adeleke and his brother, Deji, including possible alternative platforms for contesting the governorship election.
According to him, four parties — the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Accord — were considered as possible alternatives to the PDP.
Oyinlola said he personally favoured Accord, believing the platform would have stronger appeal among voters in the state.
He explained that the discussions were prompted by the worsening crisis within the PDP at the national level, which stakeholders feared could have a negative impact on the party’s prospects in Osun.
“We foresaw this problem with the commencement of the turbulent weather that hit the PDP at the national level. So, we knew for sure that it would permeate downwards,” he said.
Oyinlola said the stakeholders agreed to reconvene after Adeleke and his brother returned from the United States to determine the party platform they would collectively adopt.
He, however, said he was shocked when he discovered on social media that Adeleke had resigned from the PDP and joined Accord without another consultation with the wider group.
“Both of them were outside the country when we discussed. We said, as soon as they came back, let’s have a stakeholders’ meeting so that we could fine-tune how we would proceed and which of the parties we wanted to use,” Oyinlola said.
“Surprisingly, my governor came back from the U.S. Without any discussion, without any stakeholders’ meeting to fine-tune things the way we had agreed, I saw on social media, like every other member, that my governor had resigned from the PDP and joined Accord.”
The former governor described the development as another example of what he termed Adeleke’s lack of inclusiveness in political decision-making.
He noted that although some stakeholders and political appointees eventually followed Adeleke into Accord, efforts to unite all members of the group did not succeed.
“Even though we were all thinking of what platform would best serve our interests, it would only be nice to carry everybody along in that decision,” he said.
Oyinlola added that his decision to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, was based on his personal conviction about what he believed was best for Osun State.
He said he and other PDP stakeholders who backed Oyebamiji were exercising their conscience after years of service to the state.
“We felt we should exercise our conscience as stakeholders who have served the state. I do believe that at this particular moment, Osun State will require a different direction. That was why we did what we did,” he said.
Oyinlola had earlier appeared alongside former Secretary to the Osun State Government Fatai Akinbade and former PDP National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Tajudeen Oladipo, at a gathering in Osogbo where the group formally endorsed Oyebamiji ahead of Saturday’s election.
The group maintained that its decision was driven by conviction and what it described as a desire for the progress of Osun State, while insisting that its members had not abandoned the PDP.
Accord Rejects Oyinlola’s Position
The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has dismissed the political significance of Oyinlola’s endorsement of the APC candidate, insisting that it would not prevent Adeleke from securing re-election.
In a statement issued in Osogbo, the state chairman of the party, Victor Akande, criticised Oyinlola, Akinbade and Oladipo for their opposition to Adeleke.
Akande alleged that the trio had worked against Adeleke during the 2018 and 2022 governorship elections but failed to stop his eventual victory in 2022.
He further claimed that the three politicians returned to Adeleke’s camp after his 2022 victory and benefited from his administration.
Akande described Oyinlola’s latest political move as inconsequential to Adeleke’s re-election bid, accusing the former governor of returning to a political position he had previously abandoned.
The exchange has added a fresh dimension to the political battle ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with both camps seeking to consolidate support as Osun voters prepare to choose their next governor.
