APC Dumps Adeleke’s Campaign Structure, Unveils Separate 168-Member Council in Osun

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has established a separate 168-member campaign council for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, distancing its state leadership from the campaign structure inaugurated by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The development has exposed fresh disagreements within the political arrangement supporting Tinubu’s second-term ambition in Osun, following the controversy surrounding Adeleke’s appointment as the state coordinator of the President’s campaign.

The APC unveiled the new 168-member presidential and parliamentary campaign council on Monday, November 2, 2026, with the party’s governorship candidate in the August 2026 election, Bola Oyebamiji, appointed as Director-General.

Osun APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, was named Deputy Director-General, while Oyebamiji’s running mate, Benjamin Adereti, and Kehinde Olamolu were appointed Assistant Director-Generals I and II, respectively.

The three APC senatorial candidates and nine House of Representatives candidates in the state were also included in the council.

Other prominent members include former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Foluke Etteh; former deputy governors Iyiola Omisore, Titi Laoye-Ponnle, Adeleke Adewoyin and Adegboyega Alabi; retired General Alani Akinrinade; Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode; and APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi.

In a statement announcing the arrangement, Lawal said the council was carefully constituted to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election and the party’s candidates contesting National Assembly and State Assembly elections in 2027.

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The decision comes less than two weeks after Adeleke inaugurated a separate 344-member campaign council in Osogbo on October 22 to coordinate support for Tinubu’s re-election.

Adeleke, who secured re-election as Osun governor on the platform of the Accord Party in August 2026, had been named Osun coordinator of Tinubu’s presidential campaign in the revised campaign council released by the APC national leadership.

However, his appointment generated discontent among some APC leaders in the state, particularly over the composition of the campaign committee and the extent of consultation with the party’s established leadership.

Several prominent APC figures, including former Osun governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; Oyebamiji; and Lawal, were absent when Adeleke inaugurated the 344-member council.

Other party figures also stayed away from the event, although APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, former governor Bisi Akande and former deputy governor Iyiola Omisore attended.

Following the inauguration, Lawal complained that the Osun APC leadership was not adequately consulted before the committee was constituted and its membership announced.

He said the party only became aware of the arrangement after Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, published the list on social media less than 24 hours before the planned inauguration.

The APC chairman expressed concern that the manner in which the committee was constituted could create unnecessary disagreements between the party and the governor, despite their shared support for Tinubu’s re-election.

The emergence of the new 168-member council, with Oyebamiji and Lawal occupying its top positions, has now introduced a separate campaign structure within the state.

Another issue contributing to the disagreement is the scope of Adeleke’s political alliance with Tinubu.

During the October 22 inauguration, the governor reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Tinubu’s 2027 presidential ambition but made it clear that the arrangement would not extend to legislative elections.

Adeleke said he would campaign for candidates of his own party, Accord, in elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and Osun State House of Assembly.

He also denied entering into any agreement with the APC to share legislative or local government positions, insisting that the political understanding among the coalition partners was limited to the presidential election.

Meanwhile, Oyetola has expressed confidence that Tinubu could secure 1.5 million votes in Osun State in the 2027 presidential election, urging APC members to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and work towards the President’s re-election.

The emergence of competing campaign structures raises questions about how the APC and its political allies will coordinate their activities in Osun ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly as the governor and the state party leadership maintain different arrangements for supporting the same presidential candidate.