A fresh political rift has emerged in Osun State as the All Progressives Congress has sidelined Governor Ademola Adeleke from its 2027 re-election campaign structure for President Bola Tinubu, opting to establish a separate 168-member campaign council.
The move deepens divisions within the party following Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party and his recent inauguration of a 344-member Presidential Campaign Council in Osogbo, where he appointed himself coordinator of Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the state.
Adeleke’s decision had triggered controversy within the APC, particularly after prominent party figures, including former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and state chairman Tajudeen Lawal, stayed away from the inauguration.
Announcing the new arrangement on Monday, Lawal said the APC had constituted its own Presidential and Parliamentary Campaign Council to mobilise support for Tinubu and the party’s candidates contesting National and State Assembly seats in the state.
Under the new structure, Oyebamiji will serve as Director-General, while Lawal will occupy the position of Deputy Director-General.
The council also features the party’s three senatorial candidates, nine House of Representatives candidates, four former deputy governors, General Alani Akinrinade, Femi Fani-Kayode and several other influential party leaders.
Lawal explained that the decision followed Adeleke’s declaration that his support for Tinubu would not extend to other APC candidates seeking elective offices in the state.
The party leadership subsequently resolved to establish an independent campaign structure, bringing its leaders and members together to pursue what it described as an all-round victory for Tinubu and APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
