Presidency, Opposition Court Adeleke After Osun Victory

…Tinubu Camp Wants Governor To Honour 2027 Pledge

…Opposition Eyes Osun Template For 2027

…APC Unsure Where Adeleke’s Loyalty Lies

The victory of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke in Saturday’s governorship election has triggered a fresh scramble for his political support ahead of the 2027 general election.

While forces within the Presidency are expected to press Adeleke to honour his repeated pledge to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, opposition parties are also said to be reaching out to the governor, seeking to replicate what has been described as the “Osun template” in 2027.

Already, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has asked Adeleke to honour what he described as an agreement between him and the President for 2027.

Keyamo said, “Thank you, Governor Ademola Adeleke, for the public and unequivocal endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 Presidential Election.

“You are a man of integrity and honour. ‘Agreement is agreement.’”

Adeleke had repeatedly expressed his readiness to support Tinubu amid the crisis that has fractured the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform on which he won his first governorship election in 2022.

The crisis in the PDP nearly left the governor without a viable platform for his re-election bid, forcing him to move to the Accord party after attempts to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) were reportedly frustrated by influential party leaders in the state, allegedly led by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola.

Adeleke also survived legal challenges aimed at frustrating his membership of the Accord party, which his camp alleged were sponsored by high-ranking APC chieftains.

A prominent member of the governor’s campaign council, who spoke with THE WHISTLER in Osogbo on Sunday, said it was too early to speculate on Adeleke’s position regarding the 2027 presidential election. The source said the governor’s immediate priority was to settle down to governance following his re-election.

Despite Adeleke’s earlier pledge to support Tinubu, some Accord party chieftains have accused the Presidency of taking decisions they claimed were detrimental to the governor’s political interests.

The Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, cited the alleged withholding of more than N200 billion in revenue allocations to the state’s 30 local governments since February 2025 as one of such actions.

Alimi, who spoke on Sunday during a Yoruba programme on an Osogbo-based radio station, also recalled the August 5 order by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) freezing the state government’s account. The EFCC’s action, which came ten days before the governorship election, generated widespread controversy and public criticism, and was subsequently reversed.

The Adeleke camp also viewed the deployment of 16 APC governors and scores of National Assembly members, including the President of the Senate, to Osun shortly before the election as an attempt to intimidate the governor and voters. The deployment was described by Adeleke’s supporters and some residents as an “invasion” of the state.

Alimi further alleged that members of the Accord party were killed by sponsored political thugs in different parts of the state during the build-up to the election, accusing security agencies of failing to act decisively.

The commissioner also alleged that the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in releasing some of the election results was part of an attempt by forces opposed to Adeleke to manipulate the process and create a stalemate. However, these allegations have not been independently established.

Stakeholders within the Accord party have argued that the alleged actions against Adeleke amounted to an attempt to deny him re-election despite his pledge to support Tinubu in 2027, saying such “betrayal” should have political consequences.

Support For Tinubu May Divide Adeleke’s Camp

Despite the tensions, Adeleke has maintained his position that he would support Tinubu’s re-election. However, indications emerged shortly before the Osun election that the governor’s position might not enjoy the support of the leadership of the Accord party.

The Lagos State Chairman of Accord, Dele Oladeji, said the party had not taken any decision to support Tinubu in 2027, insisting there was no agreement committing Accord to supporting the President, and adding that the party would field its own presidential candidate in the 2027 election.

The governor may also face resistance from influential figures within his political circle. David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, the governor’s nephew and one of his strongest supporters, has publicly declared that he would not support Tinubu in 2027.

Instead, the music star has expressed support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi. Davido played a prominent role in Adeleke’s campaigns in both the 2022 and 2026 governorship elections.

The divergent positions within Adeleke’s political camp could therefore become a major factor in determining the governor’s eventual alignment ahead of the 2027 presidential election.