After years of rivalry, Adeleke, Oyetola camps unite for Tinubu

Targets 1.5m votes for President Tinubu in Osun

After years of political rivalry, electoral battles and disagreements over the control of Osun State’s political structures, Governor Ademola Adeleke and the camp of former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, have agreed to work together to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The two political camps demonstrated their renewed cooperation on Saturday in Osogbo, where they joined other political stakeholders at the inauguration of state and local government structures of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, alongside the donation of 30 vehicles and other campaign materials.

They subsequently set a minimum target of 1.5 million votes for Tinubu in Osun, with a further ambition to secure between 1.5 million and two million votes for the President.

The emerging alliance is particularly significant given the history of political animosity between Adeleke and Oyetola, who have repeatedly confronted each other in Osun’s governorship contests and political battles.

Their rivalry dates back to the 2018 governorship election, which Oyetola won after a controversial rerun, defeating Adeleke by just 482 votes.

They met again in the 2022 governorship election, when Adeleke, then the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, defeated the incumbent Oyetola. Although the former governor challenged the result at the election tribunal, the Supreme Court eventually affirmed Adeleke’s victory in May 2023.

The political disagreement subsequently extended to the control of the state’s 30 local government councils, following a dispute over the legitimacy of council officials elected under Oyetola’s administration and those installed by Adeleke’s government.

The rivalry resurfaced during the August 15, 2026 governorship election, in which Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who was backed by Oyetola’s political camp.

However, the two camps have now found common ground in their support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition, although tensions over the leadership and composition of the presidential campaign structure initially threatened the proposed alliance.

The disagreement became public on October 22 when Adeleke inaugurated a 344-member Osun State Presidential Campaign Council, with Oyetola, Oyebamiji and several prominent APC leaders conspicuously absent.

The Osun APC had complained that its leaders were not adequately consulted before the inauguration, while a loyalist of Oyetola subsequently warned that Adeleke’s campaign structure could not deliver the state for Tinubu without the involvement of the former governor’s political machinery.

The controversy followed Adeleke’s appointment as Osun coordinator of Tinubu’s presidential campaign, replacing Oyetola, who had previously occupied the position.

Against this background, Saturday’s gathering in Osogbo marked a fresh attempt to bridge the political divide and mobilise supporters across party lines for the President’s re-election.

Speaking through his representative, the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Chief Kestin Pondi, the Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, urged Osun residents to give Tinubu at least 90 per cent of the votes cast in the state.

He described Tinubu as a proud son of the South-West whose reforms had improved the financial capacity of state governments, enabling them to pay salaries and pensions and execute development projects.

Tompolo said his support for the President was informed by his belief in the administration’s reform agenda and its potential to reposition Nigeria.

“We are in Osun State canvassing for votes for a man who has done so well for the South-West because we believe in the man. We believe in the man’s reformation agenda, and we believe that the man is what Nigeria needs at this point,” he said.

He cited the removal of fuel queues, improved economic stability and renewed investor interest as some of the gains of the Tinubu administration, urging Nigerians to support the President’s second-term bid.

According to him, the reforms were difficult but necessary decisions taken in the national interest.

Speaking on behalf of Adeleke, his deputy, Kola Adewusi, said the gathering demonstrated the determination of political stakeholders across party lines to work together for Tinubu’s re-election.

He commended Tompolo for establishing the movement, describing his intervention as timely and capable of strengthening the President’s campaign beyond the traditional boundaries of the APC.

Adewusi, however, acknowledged the disagreements among the political groups, urging them to put aside their differences in pursuit of their common objective.

“Our gathering is therefore a timely push to gain further momentum in the campaign process. We must therefore forget past disagreements and unite to deliver for the President,” he said.

He added that all coalition partners had a responsibility to overlook previous antagonisms and work towards delivering between 1.5 million and two million votes for Tinubu.

The governor’s deputy also emphasised that the political partnership was primarily for the presidential election.

Similarly, Oyetola, who was represented by the APC governorship candidate in the August 2026 election, Oyebamiji, welcomed the growing support for Tinubu across party lines.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy said the President’s re-election campaign had continued to attract individuals and political interests beyond the traditional APC constituency because of the need to sustain his administration’s reforms and development programmes.

He urged political stakeholders in the South-West to translate their declarations of support into votes at polling units, stressing that the region had a responsibility to deliver an overwhelming victory for Tinubu.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku, urged Osun residents to disregard opposition campaigns and mobilise massively for the President.

He described Tinubu as a leader who had demonstrated courage in taking difficult economic decisions, adding that his administration had created opportunities for states to meet their financial obligations.

The January 16, 2027 presidential election is expected to test the strength of the emerging cross-party alliance in Osun, where political differences that have persisted for years are now being temporarily set aside in pursuit of a common presidential objective.