APC Shuns Adeleke, Sets Up Separate Campaign Council in Osun
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has established a separate 168-member presidential and parliamentary campaign council to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election as well as other candidates of the party in the 2027 general elections.
The move comes days after Governor Ademola Adeleke inaugurated the Osun State Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu, naming himself as its coordinator, a development that led to controversy within the APC.
The newly constituted council has the APC governorship candidate in the August 15, Osun governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, as its Director-General, while the state party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, will serve as Deputy Director-General.
In a statement signed by Lawal on Monday, the APC said the council was established to strengthen the party’s chances in the forthcoming elections and ensure victory for its candidates.
The party explained that it had carefully selected its leaders and members in the state to coordinate mobilisation efforts and secure votes for Tinubu as well as its National and State Assembly candidates.
The statement recalled that Tinubu inaugurated the national APC Presidential Campaign Council on October 14, in Abuja, while Adeleke inaugurated the Osun State chapter of the council on October 22.
It said the party considered it necessary to establish the new council to complement the existing campaign structure and strengthen its mobilisation efforts.
“Following the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) by the National Leader of our party and its presidential candidate, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on October 14, 2026, in Abuja, and the subsequent inauguration of the Osun State PCC by the Executive Governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, on October 22, 2026, we consider it extremely important to therefore bolster the efforts of the PCC to deliver massive votes for the re-election of our President,” the statement read.
The party added that the new council was carefully constituted to ensure victory for all its candidates in the general elections.
“We have therefore carefully selected All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and members in Osun State to actualise our collective desire of ensuring all-round victory for the President as well as our National and State Assembly candidates,” it added.
Oyebamiji’s running mate in the August 15 governorship election, Benjamin Adereti, and Kehinde Olamolu were appointed Assistant Directors-General I and II, respectively.
The council also includes the three APC senatorial candidates and nine House of Representatives candidates in the state.
Other prominent members listed include former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Foluke Etteh; former deputy governors Adeleke Adewoyin, Iyiola Omisore, Titi Laoye-Ponnle and Adegboyega Alabi; retired General Alani Akinrinade; Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode; and the party’s spokesperson in the state, Kola Olabisi.
The formation of the separate campaign council follows disagreements over the composition and leadership of the earlier Osun Presidential Campaign Council inaugurated by Adeleke.
At the October 22 inauguration, Adeleke was named coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council in the state.
The event was attended by several prominent APC figures, including the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; former Osun State Governor, Bisi Akande; and former deputy governors Iyiola Omisore and Titi Laoye-Ponnle.
However, former Osun governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, Oyebamiji, Lawal and several other influential APC leaders were absent.
Their absence fuelled questions about the level of support for the campaign council and the circumstances surrounding its composition.
In a statement issued the following day, Lawal complained that the APC leadership in Osun had not been consulted before the council was constituted.
Adeleke, while speaking at the inauguration, maintained that his support was strictly for Tinubu’s re-election, ruling out any arrangement to support APC candidates contesting legislative positions in the state.
