The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Tajudeen Lawal, were among prominent party leaders absent on Thursday as Governor Ademola Adeleke inaugurated a 344-member campaign council for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Former Osun State Governor, Bisi Akande, led other APC chieftains to the inauguration, which brought together political leaders from the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Accord Party to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
Other prominent APC figures at the event included the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru; former National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore; former deputy governors Titi Laoye-Ponle and Lekan Adewoyin; Senator Babajide Omoworare; and Chief Shuaib Oyedokun.
Also present were the Osun Central Senatorial Leader of the APC, Adeoye Adelakun; former members of the House of Representatives, Ajibola Famurewa and Bukola Oyewo; and former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Wale Afolabi.
However, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, and the APC governorship candidate in the 2026 election, Bola Oyebamiji, were also absent.
Other APC leaders missing from the inauguration included former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye; Executive Director of Project Implementation at the Federal Housing Authority, Remi Omowaiye; and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Adebayo Adeleke.
The inauguration came amid disagreement within the Osun APC over the composition and announcement of the campaign council, with the party earlier complaining that it was not consulted before the committee was unveiled.
Speaking at the event, Akande urged eligible voters across the South-West to support Tinubu’s re-election, describing the President as a Yoruba son entitled to a second term in office.
He expressed optimism about the President’s chances of securing another term and referred to January 16, 2027, as a significant date for the campaign in Osun.
The APC National Secretary, Basiru, also called on political stakeholders in the state to put aside their differences and work together to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
Basiru said he attended the inauguration despite having another engagement scheduled in Kaduna State, stressing that Osun remained an important political base for him.
According to him, Tinubu’s decision to appoint Adeleke as the state campaign coordinator should be respected by political stakeholders, irrespective of their party affiliations or personal ambitions.
“There is no ambition or ego that is greater than ensuring President Bola Tinubu is re-elected,” Basiru said, urging party members and other political leaders to support Adeleke in delivering votes for the President.
Earlier, Adeleke said the campaign council was established to mobilise more than the 1.5 million votes previously promised to Tinubu in the state.
He described the alliance involving the APC, PDP and Accord structures as a coalition focused on the presidential election, adding that the participating parties had agreed to work together for Tinubu’s re-election.
The governor, however, clarified that the alliance would not extend to legislative elections, noting that the coalition partners remained free to support candidates of their respective parties in senatorial, House of Representatives and state assembly contests.
“From the pain of the past, we must unite for the prosperity of the future. From unity in diversity, we must forge a new brotherhood behind our leader, Asiwaju Tinubu,” Adeleke said.
He urged members of the council to work collectively towards achieving the campaign’s objectives, while assuring residents that the federal and state governments were making efforts to resolve the lingering local government crisis in Osun.
Adeleke said discussions on the crisis had reached an advanced stage and expressed hope that a resolution would be reached soon.
Meanwhile, Adelakun, who spoke on behalf of the Osun APC chairman, Lawal, suggested that the absent party leaders might not have been aware of the inauguration.
He said those present would brief their colleagues on the proceedings, adding that cooperation among political parties was necessary to secure the votes being sought for Tinubu in the state.
Adelakun also argued that the APC needed to collaborate with other political structures to improve its electoral performance in Osun, noting that the party had struggled to win elections in the state in recent electoral cycles.
The Osun APC had earlier stated that it was not informed before the announcement of the presidential campaign council, according to a statement issued by Lawal on Thursday.
The governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, had announced on Wednesday that Adeleke would inaugurate the 344-member council as part of preparations for Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027.
