Former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has explained his decision to withdraw support for Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of the August 15 governorship election, accusing the governor of joining the Accord Party without consulting key stakeholders.
Oyinlola made the disclosure on Tuesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
The former governor said he had earlier discussed possible alternative political platforms with Adeleke and his brother, Deji, following the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party at the national level.
According to him, four political parties, APGA, NNPP, ADP and Accord, were considered as possible platforms for the governorship contest, with Oyinlola personally advocating Accord because he believed the party would appeal to voters in Osun.
“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,” Oyinlola said.
He added, “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.”
Oyinlola, however, said the stakeholders agreed to hold a broader meeting after Adeleke and his brother returned from abroad before deciding on the platform to adopt.
He said he was therefore surprised when he discovered 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,” he said.
“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.”
The former governor described the decision as another example of what he called non-inclusiveness in Adeleke’s political leadership.
“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,” Oyinlola said.
He said the failure to bring all stakeholders together eventually contributed to his decision, alongside other PDP leaders, to support the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
Oyinlola, alongside former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Fatai Akinbade, and former PDP National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Tajudeen Oladipo, had publicly endorsed Oyebamiji ahead of Saturday’s election.
Explaining the decision, Oyinlola said, “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.”
He also stressed that the group had not abandoned the PDP but had decided to support Oyebamiji based on their conviction about what they considered best for the state.
“Politics is temporary, but Osun State is permanent. Political parties may change, political alliances may change, administrations may come and go, but the people of Osun will remain,” Oyinlola had said while announcing the group’s endorsement.
Accord kicks
The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has, however, dismissed Oyinlola’s endorsement of Oyebamiji, saying it would not stop Adeleke’s re-election bid.
The party’s state chairman, Victor Akande, accused Oyinlola, Akinbade and Oladipo of working against Adeleke in previous elections, particularly in 2018 and 2022.
Akande said their latest decision had no significant political consequence, alleging that the trio returned to Adeleke’s camp after his 2022 victory and benefited from the administration.
The Accord chairman said the former PDP leaders had “gone back to their vomit,” while insisting that their support for the APC candidate would not prevent Adeleke from winning the August 15 poll.
