Osun 2026: Oyinlola-Led PDP Faction Dumps Adeleke

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State led by former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of Saturday’s election.

Oyinlola announced the decision on Sunday at an event in Osogbo attended by other prominent members of the faction, including former Secretary to the State Government, Fatai Akinbade, and former PDP National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Tajudeen Oladipo.

The former governor said the group decided to support Oyebamiji after becoming dissatisfied with the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, particularly over what it described as a lack of inclusiveness in the running of the state.

He, however, stressed that the decision did not amount to leaving the PDP. According to him, the group remained members of the party but had chosen to support another candidate based on its assessment of what was best for Osun State.

Oyinlola said the group had previously supported the PDP and invested its political strength in the party because it believed in its objectives. He added that disagreements over the way the state was being governed had led to the decision to back Oyebamiji.

He said the group believed that effective governance required consultation, participation and the involvement of different stakeholders.

Oyinlola formally declared the group’s support for Oyebamiji and urged the APC candidate to make the welfare of residents the centre of his administration if elected.

He called on Oyebamiji to prioritise good governance, infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment, economic development and job creation.

The former governor also urged him to ensure that people across the state were represented in government and that residents had opportunities to contribute to the development of Osun.

Akinbade and Oladipo separately appealed to PDP members in the state to support Oyebamiji at the polls. They said their decision was based on what they considered to be the best interest of the state rather than personal benefits.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, welcomed the endorsement and described Oyinlola as an experienced grassroots politician and national figure.

Oyetola urged residents to remain peaceful as the election approached and expressed confidence in the APC’s chances.

Responding to the endorsement, Oyebamiji said the support from various groups across the state had strengthened his campaign and expressed confidence that the APC would emerge victorious.

He said his campaign had taken him to all the local government areas in Osun several times and claimed that residents had shown support for his ambition.

Oyebamiji also promised to run an inclusive administration if elected, assuring the Oyinlola-led group that he would not disappoint those who had supported his candidacy.

The APC candidate said his administration would work collectively with stakeholders to advance the development of the state.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Osun State PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, were unsuccessful as calls to his phone were not answered and he had not responded to a message sent to him at the time of filing the report.