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.

Opposition Eyes Osun Template For 2027

Adeleke’s victory has also renewed confidence within the opposition camp, with notable leaders and parties saying the vote-protection vigilance displayed by residents as soon as collation of results began would serve as the opposition’s template to unseat Tinubu in 2027.

The presidential candidate of the ADC, Peter Obi, said, “Their vigilance and determination demonstrate that when citizens stand firmly to protect their votes, the forces of good can overcome the forces of darkness.”

Drawing lessons from the election, Obi stressed that democracy thrives when citizens remain alert and engaged in protecting their votes.

“The lesson from Osun is clear: democracy is strongest when citizens are alert, conscious of their civic responsibility, and determined to ensure that their votes count. Every genuine vote must be respected, and every lawful mandate must be protected,” he said.

He added, “This is also a clarion call as we approach 2027. Nigerians must remain informed, participate actively, vote, and protect their votes.

“The Nigerian people are the ones experiencing hunger, deprivation, insecurity, and hardship; therefore, they are also the ones with the power, through their votes, to bring about the change that will end these conditions.”

Obi further urged “all political actors to place the interests of the people above partisan considerations and to embrace peace, unity, and the rule of law,” adding, “Elections should never be battles of violence, but contests of ideas, competence, character, and service.”

He expressed hope that the Osun experience would serve as inspiration for the rest of the country, saying, “May the Osun experience strengthen our confidence in the democratic process and inspire Nigerians everywhere to remain vigilant and committed to building a just, secure, prosperous, and truly people-centred nation.”

Also speaking, the Kabiru Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the strategy adopted by the Accord party to secure Adeleke’s re-election must be replicated by Nigerians to unseat Tinubu in 2027.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party’s Interim National Working Committee, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP described Adeleke’s victory as announced by INEC as a clear signal of what to expect in 2027.

“The result of the Osun Governorship elections, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, showing a convincing win by Governor Ademola Adeleke, is a clear message from Nigerians in Osun State about what the 2027 elections will be,” the statement read.

The party said, “The victory, which came at a high cost of strong will, vigilance and resistance by the people of Osun State against the entire rigging machinery of the ruling All Progressives Congress, who were desirous of winning the state at all costs.”

The PDP alleged, “That the APC wanted Osun, by fair or foul means, was not in doubt to anyone, which accounts for the unceasing intimidation, assault and arrests of opposition politicians, the ‘kill them’ directive by Senator Francis Fadahunsi and the performative invitation by the police, and his subsequent release to participate in the elections.”

While commending the resilience of Osun voters, the PDP cautioned Nigerians against complacency ahead of 2027, warning that the APC would likely learn from its setbacks in Osun.

“Nigerians must vote, protect and defend their votes. They must not think that having failed in Osun, the APC and its accomplices in the critical national institutions will repent of their ill deeds; they will rather seek to learn from the failings in Osun, to perfect their dark art of subverting the wishes of the people,” the statement read.

The party described the outcome in Osun as a preview of a broader political reckoning it expects in 2027.

“Overall, the result from Osun is an advance payment by Nigerians against the APC, the balance will come in 2027, when Nigerians will send packing the most ineffective and destructive political class in the history of Nigeria, post-independence,” it said.

It insisted that election outcomes must reflect the genuine will of the people rather than the interests of a privileged few.

“Election results must be reflective of the wishes of the people freely expressed through the ballot and not the enforcement of the whims and caprices of a privileged minority of oppressors.

“And to achieve this, Nigerians must never forget that the price for eternal freedom is vigilance,” the statement said.

APC Unsure Where Adeleke’s Loyalty Lies

Despite the flurry of overtures from the Presidency and some senior federal government aides and appointees, the APC remains uncertain of Adeleke’s endorsement and support, given developments before and during the election.

The APC, in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said the party leadership was studying the results of the governorship election in each of the 332 wards across the state with a view to exploring whatever constitutional steps remain available within the window of opportunity.

The APC is reportedly divided over its next line of action, with one faction, led by some governors and appointees, urging the party to let the matter rest, while the opposing side, led by core members of the National Working Committee (NWC), is pushing for the party to approach the court.

The party’s statement following the outcome of the election read, “We make bold to state categorically that as a progressive party which is founded on the unalloyed principle of the rule of law, fairness and justice, we shall not hesitate without further delay to explore the window allowed by the extant Electoral Act after due consultation with the team of our lawyers based on their professional advice.”

There are fears that the party risks further souring relations with Adeleke and his camp, which could push the governor further into the arms of the opposition should the APC proceed to court to challenge the outcome.

The party insisted, “The new development is a beauty of democracy with reference to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declared governorship election results in the state which would not propel us to deviate from embracing the culture of the rule of law.”