The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has established a separate campaign council for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, creating fresh political tension over Governor Ademola Adeleke’s role in the presidential campaign.
The new 168-member Presidential and Parliamentary Campaign Council was announced by the state APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, with the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, appointed as Director-General. Lawal will serve as Deputy Director-General.
The development comes after Adeleke, who belongs to the Accord Party, inaugurated a presidential campaign council in Osun State on October 22, following his appointment as coordinator of Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the state.
However, the Osun APC leadership had expressed dissatisfaction with the earlier arrangement, alleging that the party’s state executives were not adequately consulted before the council was constituted.
In announcing the new structure, Lawal said it was designed to strengthen the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections and secure victory for Tinubu and APC candidates contesting legislative seats.
The council includes the party’s three senatorial candidates and nine House of Representatives candidates, alongside several prominent political figures.
Among those listed are former deputy governors Iyiola Omisore, Titi Laoye-Ponnle, Adeleke Adewoyin and Adegboyega Alabi, as well as former Speaker of the House of Representatives Foluke Etteh and Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode.
The move has, however, exposed divisions within the Osun APC over the leadership and composition of the presidential campaign structure.
Some members of the party’s State Executive Committee have rejected the newly announced list, arguing that it excluded key officials who should have been included and could conflict with the arrangement already established by Adeleke.
The aggrieved officials called for consultations to harmonise the competing structures and prevent further disagreements within the party.
Despite the controversy, the Osun APC leadership reaffirmed its commitment to Tinubu’s re-election and victory for the party’s candidates in the forthcoming polls.
The unfolding dispute raises questions about how the APC will coordinate its presidential campaign in Osun State, particularly with Adeleke’s involvement in Tinubu’s re-election effort despite belonging to another political party.
