Secret Deals Behind Tinubu’s Move To Hand Osun APC To Gov Adeleke

BY OLUSOLA FABIYI, Abuja AND JOSHUA DADA, Osogbo

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has emerged with a major role in the power-sharing arrangement for the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), brokered by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, LEADERSHIP Weekend has learnt.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said Adeleke had effectively emerged as the leader of the coalition coordinating President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign in Osun. However, he has yet to defect from the Accord Party, under which he contested the last governorship election after defecting from the fragmented Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner of the 15 August 2026, governorship election with 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Adeleke won by a margin of 66,252 votes across the state’s 30 local government areas.

The returning officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, announced the result in the early hours of 16 August at INEC’s headquarters in Osogbo.

Under the arrangement brokered by Gbajabiamila, Adeleke is reportedly to take the lead in coordinating the coalition’s activities and securing a larger share of political appointments, particularly at the federal level.

The arrangement represents a shift in the balance of power within the Osun APC, where former governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, had previously exercised considerable influence.

Oyetola, who is regarded as having close ties to President Tinubu, had been a dominant figure in the state party’s leadership and candidate-selection processes.

Other stakeholders involved in the power struggle include the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and former deputy governor and former party national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Before the latest negotiations, Oyetola was said to have exercised considerable control over the party’s nominations, including the selection of its governorship candidate, Oyebamiji, his running mate and senatorial candidates. He was also reportedly influential in determining candidates for the National Assembly and other elective positions ahead of the 2027 general election.

However, the new power-sharing arrangement is expected to redistribute that influence.

Under the reported terms, Adeleke is to nominate chairpersons for 20 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyetola, Omisore and Basiru are to share responsibility for the remaining 10.

The four political leaders are also expected to nominate councillors in the local government areas allocated to their respective camps.

Local Government Dispute to Be Settled Out of Court

Sources familiar with the agreement said the protracted legal dispute over the control of Osun’s local governments would be resolved amicably.

Under the proposed arrangement, the parties would inform the appellate court of their intention to settle out of court and seek time to negotiate terms that could subsequently be adopted as the court’s judgment.

“The two parties are to inform the court that the issues will be resolved amicably, and the court is expected to give them time to meet and return with the terms of settlement, which will be the judgment of the court when eventually adopted,” a source familiar with the matter told LEADERSHIP Weekend.

The source said the proposed arrangement had been welcomed by the Omisore and Basiru camps but had reportedly unsettled Oyetola’s camp, which previously enjoyed greater control over the party’s affairs.

“You know, the Oyetola group was having everything before? The group was in charge of the party’s leadership; it was also solely responsible for nominating people for federal appointments and other positions. Now, things are changing,” the source said.

The source added that the agreement offered Omisore and Basiru greater influence, while reducing Oyetola’s share of the political arrangements.

“For the Basiru and the Omisore groups, it is a welcome development. Both camps are coming from zero allocation to something, while the Oyetola camp is coming from 100 per cent allocation to less than 20 per cent now,” the source said.

** Adeleke May Defect Next Year **

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that Adeleke might defect to the APC next year, after all the elections have been concluded. Sources close to the deal said the governor would join the ruling party with his loyalists and automatically emerge as its leader in the state.

“He has defeated us (the APC) twice. Even without federal might, he won convincingly. So, who will stand in his way? Is it Oyetola, who could not win his senatorial district, or Bashiru and Omisore, who are already positioning themselves for the next governorship ticket?

“By every consideration, Adeleke has become the leader, not only in the state but also in our party.

“Recall that the President wanted him to be our flag bearer in the last governorship election, but those who believed they could win opposed him. What was the outcome, despite the enormous amount we spent on the election?” the source said.

Basiru Backs Adeleke’s Leadership

Basiru has reportedly urged members of his political group, the Alubarika Group, to work with Adeleke under the new arrangement.

At a meeting with the group in Osogbo on Thursday, Basiru was quoted as saying that the governor’s electoral performance demonstrated the need for cooperation.

A member of the group told LEADERSHIP Weekend that Basiru argued that Adeleke’s political strength in the state made collaboration necessary, particularly given his role in coordinating Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

“Our leader (Basiru) said we should work with the governor. His position was the position of all of us because the governor is also the coordinator of the President’s re-election campaign in the state,” the source said.

The governor’s inauguration of a 344-member campaign council for Tinubu’s re-election bid on Thursday, however, exposed lingering divisions within the Osun APC.

Oyetola and Oyebamiji were absent from the event in Osogbo, along with several other prominent party figures, including state APC chairman Tajudeen Lawal, former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly Timothy Owoeye, and House of Representatives member Oluwole Oke.

Hours before the inauguration, the Osun APC said it had not been adequately briefed by the governor’s camp, describing the development as an attempt to create divisions within the party.

However, several APC leaders and former officeholders attended the event, including former governor Chief Adebisi Akande, Basiru and Omisore.

Speaking at the inauguration, Akande said the party had lacked direction until Adeleke stepped in to coordinate the presidential campaign.

Basiru also urged party stakeholders to set aside their differences and work with the governor to secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

“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,” he said.

Basiru said Tinubu had chosen Adeleke to coordinate the campaign in Osun and urged party members to respect the President’s decision.

“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, or scheming, we must abide by President Bola Tinubu’s vision and support Governor Ademola Adeleke to succeed in this exercise,” he said.

He added: “There is no ambition or ego that is greater than ensuring President Bola Tinubu is re-elected. We must support the President to succeed for a second term.”

In the 2023 presidential elections, Atiku Abubakar defeated President Tinubu.

While Atiku polled 354,366, Tinubu gathered 343,945 votes.

Stakeholders Back Adeleke’s Leadership

Meanwhile, political stakeholders in Osun State have expressed support for Adeleke’s appointment as coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima presidential campaign council, expressing optimism that the coalition could improve the President’s electoral performance in the state.

They dismissed concerns that the alliance could be undermined by the absence of some APC leaders at Thursday’s inauguration, although some called for better consultation and cooperation among the party’s factions.

The Osun State chairman of the Accord Party, Pastor Victor Akande, said the coalition’s objective was to secure victory for Tinubu and expressed confidence that the parties could achieve this through collaboration.

He said his party supported Adeleke’s leadership of the campaign council, citing the confidence reposed in the governor by the APC leadership.

Similarly, the Osun State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Sunday Bisi, said the campaign council would work to secure Tinubu’s re-election.

He described Adeleke’s appointment as appropriate, given his position as governor and the confidence the President had placed in him.

Hon. Kehinde Ayantunji, who is associated with Oyetola’s camp, also supported Adeleke’s appointment but urged the campaign leadership to involve all stakeholders.

Ayantunji rejected the suggestion that the Oyetola camp had boycotted the inauguration, saying the APC recognised Adeleke as the campaign coordinator.

However, he faulted the manner in which the event was communicated to party leaders, arguing that the state APC leadership should have been formally briefed rather than informed through social media less than 24 hours before the inauguration.

Hon. Akintunde Adegboye, a political associate of Basiru, also backed Adeleke’s leadership, saying the composition of the campaign council brought together stakeholders from different political camps and levels of the state’s political structure.

He expressed optimism that the coalition could strengthen Tinubu’s campaign but urged its members to remain sincere in their dealings.

A former member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, who supported Oyebamiji’s governorship bid, cautioned against sidelining the APC leadership in the state.

He recommended a collaborative arrangement that would allow the participating political groups to work jointly or independently towards the same objective without undermining their respective interests.

Oyedokun warned that rivalry among the groups could jeopardise efforts to secure substantial votes for Tinubu.

Political analyst Comrade Waheed Lawal also expressed optimism that the coalition could overcome the divisions exposed by the inauguration.

He noted that the parties had recently contested the governorship election against one another and that some were yet to come to terms with the outcome.

Lawal said the coalition’s operational arrangements would become clearer with time, as the participating groups had a common mandate to support Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in 2027.

He, however, urged the parties to avoid working against one another, warning that internal rivalry could undermine their stated target of contributing more than 1.5 million votes to Tinubu’s re-election bid.