2027: ‘It has expired’ – Former Osun Governor Oyinlola withdraws endorsement for Tinubu

Politics

By Linda Ikeji
5 November 2026, 7:48 am

Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has stated his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election has expired.

Recall that Oyinlola was among the many Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders in Osun State who endorsed Tinubu for a second time period on July 20, 2025. However, throughout an interview on Channels Television, the previous governor was requested whether or not he nonetheless stood by the endorsement. He responded, “It has expired.”

Oyinlola, a PDP member, went on to clarify the circumstances that led to the endorsement, saying it was motivated by the political state of affairs in Osun State on the time.

“Reason being that if you need to catch a monkey, you have to behave like one. We have a problem in Osun State. The local government funds are missing.

The issue of who the rightful occupants of the local government offices are is not settled, and we believe that it’s within the purview of Mr President to resolve that. But that is not coming.

“So, if we’re in that form of state of affairs, we have to learn how to wriggle out of the issue, in order that our folks…, as a result of native authorities is the closest arm of presidency to the folks,” he said.

He described the endorsement as a political chess move intended to address the challenges facing the state, but said it failed to produce the desired results.

“We didn’t obtain something, and I exited it virtually instantly,” Oyinlola added.

The former governor has since declared his help for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who’s in search of the presidency within the 2027 common election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM