Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has inaugurated a 344-member presidential campaign council for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, declaring that the coalition will work to mobilise more than 1.5 million votes for the president in the 2027 general election.
The council was inaugurated in Osogbo on Thursday, October 22, bringing together political leaders and supporters from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Accord Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Adeleke, who was appointed Osun State coordinator of Tinubu’s presidential campaign, said the alliance was formed specifically to support the president’s re-election and would not extend to legislative elections.
He described the arrangement as a “rainbow coalition” and urged political stakeholders across party lines to work together towards the presidential campaign.
According to the governor, members of the coalition would remain free to support their preferred candidates in elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.
“Our coalition is solely about Mr President,” Adeleke said, stressing that the partnership was focused on the presidential contest rather than a merger of the participating political parties.
The inauguration attracted several prominent political figures, including former Osun governor and pioneer APC national chairman, Bisi Akande; APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru; former APC National Secretary Iyiola Omisore; and former deputy governors Titi Laoye-Ponle and Sooko Lekan Adewoyin.
However, former Osun governor Gboyega Oyetola, the APC’s candidate in the August 2026 governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, and some other party leaders were absent.
The development followed complaints from the Osun APC leadership that it had not been adequately informed about the planned inauguration.
In a statement ahead of the event, the party’s state chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said its leaders learnt of the arrangement through a social media announcement by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
Lawal expressed concern about the short notice but said the party was not opposed to working with other political groups to support Tinubu’s re-election.
At the inauguration, APC chieftains who attended called for cooperation among party members and other political stakeholders to help the president secure another term.
Beyond the campaign, Adeleke also addressed the lingering local government crisis in Osun State.
He said discussions between the state and federal governments had reached an advanced stage and expressed hope that a resolution would be announced soon.
The dispute over local government administration has remained a major political issue in the state.
The campaign council’s inauguration highlights an unusual political arrangement in which a governor elected under the Accord Party is coordinating efforts to secure a second term for a president from the APC.
The 1.5 million-vote figure represents the coalition’s stated target, not a confirmed electoral outcome. Whether the campaign can reach that goal will depend on voter participation and the choices Osun residents make at the polls.
With preparations for the 2027 election gathering pace, the alliance will face the task of coordinating different political structures while managing disagreements within the groups involved.