The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted Governor Ademola Adeleke over the short notice given for the inauguration of the State Presidential Campaign Committee for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, alleging that the party’s leadership was not consulted before the announcement.
The party, in a statement signed by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, on Thursday in Osogbo, said it was unaware of any formal arrangement for the inauguration until the names of members of the 344-man campaign council were announced by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
The development came hours before the scheduled inauguration of the committee, which is expected to coordinate Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the state ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
On Wednesday, Rasheed announced the planned inauguration of the council, which comprises prominent political figures, including former Governor Adebisi Akande, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, and the party’s governorship candidate in the 2026 election, Bola Oyebamiji.
Others listed include former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Foluke Etteh, Senators Iyiola Omisore, Jide Omoworare and Sola Adeyeye, as well as former Deputy Governor, Titilayo Ponle.
The committee also reportedly includes members of the state executives of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord, alongside candidates of the parties for legislative positions, former lawmakers and local government chairmen.
However, the composition of the council has raised concerns over the involvement of opposition figures and the absence of prior consultations among the political camps on how the campaign would be coordinated.
Lawal said the APC recognised the importance of Tinubu’s re-election and supported Adeleke’s appointment as the state coordinator of the presidential campaign committee. He, however, insisted that the process should follow established protocols.
According to him, the party was not informed of any inauguration beyond the announcement of names on social media by the governor’s spokesperson.
He said: “In as much as we consider the re-election of the national leader of our party, President Tinubu, as a collective task which we have been working vigorously and assiduously to achieve through various means, it is our view and conviction that such an exercise should be properly scheduled.”
The APC chairman argued that the re-election campaign of a sitting president required proper planning and adequate consultation, rather than an arrangement announced at short notice.
He added that announcing the names of committee members less than 24 hours before the inauguration, without a prior meeting with the party’s state leadership, had left many stakeholders uncertain about the process.
Lawal further alleged that the arrangement could create an avoidable misunderstanding between the APC and Adeleke, who was appointed to coordinate the campaign in the state.
He said the party would do everything possible to prevent such a situation, stressing that its commitment to Tinubu’s re-election remained firm.
The APC chairman added that the party was not opposed to making concessions to ensure the president’s victory in the forthcoming election but insisted that decisions should be taken through proper channels to achieve the desired results.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain further clarification from the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, were unsuccessful, as calls to his telephone line went unanswered. Responses to text and WhatsApp messages seeking his reaction were also still being awaited, according to the original report.
