A former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of failing to consult key stakeholders before defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the Accord Party ahead of the state’s governorship election.
Oyinlola disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
Oyinlola said the decision was particularly disappointing because he had earlier held discussions with Adeleke and his brother, Deji, on possible alternative platforms amid the crisis within the PDP.
He explained that the discussions with Adeleke and his brother centred on four alternative political platforms, but he personally advocated for the Accord Party, which he believed would appeal more to voters in the state.
His comment comes just days after the former governor publicly led a major faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains to endorse Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election. By escalating his grievances from a lack of administrative inclusivity to specific allegations of regional bias, the former governor has intensified the pressure on the ruling party, creating deep structural fractures for the incumbent’s campaign just days before the state heads to the polls.
Oyinlola, speaking at the event held in Osogbo, where Oyebamiji’s ambition to become governor received the faction’s endorsement, stated that his group decided to part ways with the incumbent administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke due to a lack of inclusion in his handling of government affairs.
Oyinlola, joined by a former Secretary to the State Government, Mr Fatai Akinbade, and former PDP National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, however, declared that they were not dumping the PDP.
He added that the group adopted Oyebamiji’s candidature, “having considered the decision necessary and out of conviction and sincere desire for the progress of the state.”
“I think I had discussions with the governor and his brother, Deji, on four possibilities. We had some understanding on which of the platforms would be attractive, not to the party alone, but to the people of the state. They suggested the possibilities anyway and these are APGA, NNPP, ADP, and ACCORD. I put forward the argument that ACCORD will resonate with our people” he explained.
Oyinlola said the stakeholders had anticipated that the crisis within the PDP at the national level could affect the party’s chances in Osun and had consequently considered alternative platforms for the governorship election.
He said: “We foresaw this problem with the commencement of the turbulent weather that hit the PDP at the national level. So, we know for sure that it will permeate downwards and that was why we had the discussion that what would be the alternative to PDP in as far as the contest for the governorship, which is at hand, is concerned.”
Oyinlola, however, said the agreement was that stakeholders would meet after Adeleke and his brother returned from abroad to determine how they would proceed.
He said he was therefore surprised to discover through social media that Adeleke had resigned from the PDP and joined Accord without further consultation.
“Both of them were outside the country when we discussed. And we said, as soon as they come back, let’s have stakeholders meeting so that we can fine-tune how we report into which of the parties we want to use.”
“Surprisingly, my governor came back from the U.S. Without any discussion, without any stakeholders meeting to fine-tune things the way we have agreed, I saw on the social media, like every other member, that my governor has resigned from the PDP and he has joined ACCORD.”
Oyinlola said although some stakeholders had already agreed that Accord was a suitable platform, Adeleke’s decision to join the party without carrying everyone along amounted to another example of what he described as non-inclusiveness.
“Even though we were all thinking of what platform would best serve our interests, but it would only be nice to carry everybody along in that decision. So, deciding that he is going to ACCORD and not taking the whole party along is one of the non-inclusiveness of action.”
He said some political appointees and office holders subsequently followed Adeleke into the Accord Party, but the effort to bring all stakeholders together failed.
“Some, especially the appointees, political office holders, went with him into ACCORD. It was made to bring everybody together, but that failed.”
Oyinlola said the failure of the consultation process contributed to his decision, alongside other PDP stakeholders, to support the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
“And we felt we should exercise our conscience as stakeholders who have served the state. I do believe that at this particular moment, Osun State will require a different direction. That was why we did what we did.”
Also shedding light on the issue, former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinade Akinbade, attributed the decision of some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders to support the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamijì, to what he described as Governor Ademola Adeleke’s failure to carry them along in the affairs of his administration and political decision-making.
Akinbade made the disclosure on Monday while featuring on SABENKO, a political affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he spoke extensively on the emerging political realignment ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
According to him, some of the political stakeholders currently supporting Oyebamijì had previously worked with and supported Adeleke during his political journey within the PDP, contributing their experience, resources and political support to his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate and eventual governor.
He alleged, however, that the relationship became strained after Adeleke assumed office, claiming that the stakeholders were no longer sufficiently consulted or carried along in decisions concerning the political direction and administration of the state.
According to the former SSG, “Our ideas and experience were not sufficiently accommodated by the administration. Some of us had worked with Adeleke, supported him and contributed our own quota to the political process that brought him to government, so naturally we expected to be carried along. But when there is no consultation and stakeholders no longer feel included in the affairs of government, it creates a gap between the administration and the people who helped build the political structure.” He alleged.
Akinbade said the stakeholders expected their experience, ideas and contributions to be accommodated within the administration, but alleged that their inability to establish what he described as a functional relationship with the governor eventually contributed to their decision to withdraw their support.
The former SSG insisted that the political realignment was not primarily motivated by financial considerations, maintaining that those involved had invested their time, resources, experience and political capital in the political process that brought Adeleke to power.
“Our political realignment was not motivated by financial considerations. We invested time, money, experience and political capital in the political process that brought this administration to power, and these are things that cannot simply be ignored. What we expected was participation, consultation and recognition of the contributions we made to the political process,” he said.
According to him, the disagreement was fundamentally about consultation, participation and inclusion, rather than personal financial interests.
Akinbade said the current alliance with the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamijì, therefore represents a political response to what he described as a breakdown in the relationship between the governor and some of the stakeholders who had previously supported him.
He further linked the emerging alliance to a broader political structure associated with the Tanimu Turaki camp, describing the development as part of the fluid nature of Nigerian politics, where political actors can reassess their alliances based on prevailing circumstances and political interests.
“Politics is not static. Political actors can change their positions when circumstances change, and that is what has happened. The people involved are looking at the prevailing political situation and have decided to support Bola Oyebamijì because they believe that is the direction they want to go,” Akinbade said.
The veteran politician also drew from his extensive political experience, noting that he had been actively involved in politics since the late 1990s and had served under different administrations.
He maintained that his current political position was informed by years of experience in government and party politics, rather than a decision taken without consideration of the broader political consequences.
When asked whether the political realignment could be interpreted as a personal disagreement with Governor Adeleke, Akinbade maintained that political participation goes beyond personal relationships and should involve meaningful consultation and recognition of stakeholders.
He also dismissed the suggestion that the political group would lose its relevance if Governor Adeleke eventually secures another term, describing politics as a “game of plus and minus.”
“Politics is a game of plus and minus. You cannot say that because somebody is in government today, everybody who takes a different political position has become irrelevant. Political relevance is built over time through relationships, structures and the people you have worked with, and nobody can completely write off those structures because of one election,” he said.
Akinbade expressed confidence in the chances of the political bloc supporting Oyebamijì, arguing that the people of Osun State are politically conscious and capable of determining the outcome of the election through their votes.
Asked to assess Oyebamijì’s suitability for the governorship, Akinbade gave an emphatic endorsement, describing the APC candidate as “even more than perfect” for the position.
“For me, Bola Oyebamijì is even more than perfect for the position. He has the experience, he understands the political terrain and I believe he has what it takes to govern Osun State. But supporting Oyebamijì does not mean that we must condemn the other candidates; it is simply our choice based on who we believe can best serve the interest of the state,” he said.
He nevertheless maintained that his support for Oyebamijì did not require him to condemn other candidates participating in the election.
Akinbade’s comments came just hours after former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, featured on Eagle 102.5 FM’s Frontline, where he expressed similar concerns over Governor Adeleke’s handling of political relationships and the process surrounding his movement from the PDP to the Accord Party.
Oyinlola, who alongside Akinbade and other PDP stakeholders recently endorsed Oyebamijì, had similarly spoken about the issue of inclusion, saying the group had expected greater consultation and participation in the political process. The former governor’s position echoed Akinbade’s argument that the grievances were not primarily about personal interests but about the way stakeholders were treated and carried along by the administration. The development comes amid the endorsement of Oyebamijì by the Oyinlola-led PDP group, which has added fresh momentum to the APC candidate’s campaign ahead of the August 15 election.
The parallel positions of Oyinlola and Akinbade have consequently placed the issue of stakeholder inclusion at the centre of the latest political realignment in Osun, with the development highlighting the growing battle among the major contenders to consolidate political structures, party loyalists and influential stakeholders across the state ahead of Saturday’s poll.
ACCORD Kicks
Meanwhile, The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has said the endorsement will not stop Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election.
In a statement he personally signed and obtained in Osogbo on Monday, Osun Accord Party Chairman, Victor Akande, alleged that Oyinlola, former Secretary to the State Government, Fatai Akinbade, and former Commissioner for Special Duties, Tajudeen Oladipo, worked against Adeleke’s election in 2022 but failed to stop the governor from winning.
Describing Oyinlola’s decision as being of no political consequence, Akande insisted that the former governor actually worked against Governor Adeleke in both 2018 and 2022.
Akande submitted that the trio rejoined the governor after his victory in 2022 and benefited greatly from the administration, affirming that the former governor had only gone back to his vomit.
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