-As APC, Accord, PDP chieftains unite for presidential poll; Omisore seeks two million votes, Adeleke rules out legislative alliance
By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo
Prominent political leaders in Osun State, including former Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande; former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore; the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru; and Governor Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday rallied political stakeholders behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, setting ambitious vote targets for the 2027 presidential election.
The leaders spoke at the inauguration of the Osun State Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s re-election in Osogbo, where chieftains and supporters of the APC, Accord Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among other political groups, converged to demonstrate support for the President ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
In his address, Adeleke said the coalition backing Tinubu in Osun was targeting more than 1.5 million votes for the President, recalling that the figure had earlier been promised to him.
The governor described the gathering as a convergence of influential political figures and grassroots mobilisers whose combined structures could be deployed to support the President’s re-election campaign across the state.
Omisore, however, urged political stakeholders to work towards delivering two million votes for Tinubu, expressing confidence that the target could be achieved through effective mobilisation.
The two figures reflect separate mobilisation targets stated by the speakers: Adeleke referred to a pledge of more than 1.5 million votes, while Omisore called for efforts to secure two million votes for the President in Osun.
The event also featured calls for political unity, an explanation of the scope of the alliance, and assurances from the governor that discussions between the federal and state governments on the lingering local government crisis had reached an advanced stage.
Akande, who served as governor of Osun State and later became the pioneer National Chairman of the APC, urged supporters of different political parties to rally behind Tinubu in the forthcoming presidential election.
He called on political stakeholders to put aside their differences and work towards securing the President’s re-election, as the campaign council began preparations for the January 2027 poll.
Akande’s appeal came amid efforts to bring together political structures that traditionally operate under different party platforms in Osun State.
The former governor’s participation in the inauguration underscored the involvement of established political figures in the campaign effort, as the APC leadership sought to coordinate support across the state.
The presidential campaign council is expected to provide a platform for political leaders, party members and grassroots organisers to coordinate mobilisation activities in the state’s local government areas and wards.
Former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, called on Nigerians, irrespective of their political affiliations, to support Tinubu’s re-election.
Omisore specifically appealed to members of the APC, Accord Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political groups to support the President in the presidential contest.
He stressed that the campaign was focused on the presidency and should not be confused with the separate contests for governor, the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly.
“We need everybody, irrespective of political affiliation, including ADC, Accord and others, to vote for President Bola Tinubu. We are not talking about governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections, but the re-election of our leader,” Omisore said.
He urged political leaders and supporters to intensify their mobilisation efforts, insisting that the two-million-vote target was achievable if stakeholders played their respective roles effectively.
“We should work hard to deliver two million votes for President Tinubu. It is possible, and we must play our role effectively,” he said.
Omisore also commended Adeleke for the role he was playing in efforts to secure support for Tinubu in the forthcoming presidential election.
His remarks reinforced the campaign’s emphasis on attracting votes beyond the APC’s traditional support base, with the mobilisation strategy extending to members and supporters of other political parties.
The former APC national officer’s call for cross-party support also aligned with the governor’s explanation that the arrangement was designed specifically for the presidential election rather than as a general political merger.
The APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, explained that the decision to have Adeleke lead and coordinate Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Osun was taken by the party’s national leadership in consultation with the President.
Basiru said the arrangement was intended to bring together political forces capable of supporting Tinubu across party lines in the state.
He acknowledged that the decision could raise concerns among some APC members and political stakeholders with their own interests and aspirations in Osun.
However, he urged party members to look beyond individual differences and work collectively towards the President’s re-election.
According to him, the priority should be the presidential contest, requiring political stakeholders to cooperate despite their disagreements on other electoral matters.
Basiru maintained that all hands must be on deck to secure another term for Tinubu, enabling the President to complete eight years in office.
The appointment of Adeleke to coordinate the campaign in Osun places the governor at the centre of an unusual political arrangement involving party structures that remain separate in the state.
While Adeleke belongs to the Accord Party, the presidential campaign council brings together supporters and political figures associated with the Accord Party, APC and PDP, among other groups.
The governor, in his address, made clear that the partnership was limited to the presidential election, leaving each participating party free to pursue its own interests in legislative contests.
In his address at the inauguration, Adeleke described the gathering as a convergence of influential political figures from across Osun’s political landscape.
He said the alliance brought together political actors with different strengths and responsibilities, which he likened to strikers, defenders and midfielders in a football team.
“In this hall is a gathering of who is who in Osun political terrain. We have all the strikers, the defenders and the midfielders,” the governor said.
He described the arrangement involving the Accord Party, APC and PDP structures as a rainbow coalition, expressing confidence in its capacity to mobilise support for Tinubu.
According to him, the alliance was formed around the presidential election because the participating political stakeholders had agreed to support the President’s re-election.
“Our coalition is solely about Mr President, a man who means so much to Osun State and Nigeria. Our alliance is about the presidential election on which we have all agreed to support the re-election of President Tinubu,” Adeleke said.
The governor, however, drew a clear distinction between the presidential contest and other elections scheduled for 2027.
He said the agreement did not require coalition partners to abandon their political parties or surrender their interests in the senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly elections.
Instead, he explained that participating parties would retain the freedom to support their respective candidates in the legislative contests while working together to mobilise votes for Tinubu.
“What ties us together is the presidential, not the legislative elections,” he said.
The clarification is significant in Osun’s political environment, where the participating parties maintain separate structures and competing interests in state and federal legislative contests.
It also means that the cooperation announced at the inauguration should not be interpreted as a merger of the parties or an agreement to field joint candidates in all the 2027 elections.
Rather, the arrangement is intended to coordinate their support for the presidential candidate while allowing them to continue their separate political activities in other contests.
Professor Sola Adeyeye also joined other political leaders at the event in calling for support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
His participation added to the presence of prominent political figures at the inauguration, where speakers emphasised mobilisation and cooperation ahead of the presidential election.
The gathering brought together party chieftains and supporters from different political backgrounds, reflecting the campaign council’s stated intention to draw support from beyond a single party.
The success of the mobilisation effort will ultimately be measured by voter participation and the number of votes recorded for the President in Osun during the election.
For now, the figures announced by Adeleke and Omisore represent political targets intended to guide the campaign’s mobilisation activities rather than guaranteed election results.
Beyond the presidential campaign, Adeleke used the occasion to provide an update on efforts to resolve the lingering local government crisis in Osun State.
The governor said discussions between the federal and state governments had reached an advanced stage, expressing optimism that the impasse would be resolved as early as possible.
“I want to assure you that both the federal and state government are working to resolve the local government crisis as early as possible. Discussion has reached an advanced stage. Our dear state should expect good news very soon,” he said.
Although he did not provide a specific date for a resolution, Adeleke’s statement indicated that consultations were continuing between the two levels of government.
The local government dispute has remained a major political and administrative issue in the state, making the governor’s assurance an important part of his address to the gathering.
He did not outline specific terms of the proposed resolution or disclose the details of the discussions, but expressed confidence that the state could expect a positive development soon.
The governor also said he understood the aspirations and expectations of Osun residents and assured political stakeholders that the state and federal governments would do everything possible to make the presidential campaign smooth.
Adeleke urged political stakeholders to set aside previous disagreements and work together in the interest of the presidential campaign.
He described the period as critical for the Yoruba people and Nigeria, calling on Osun’s political leaders to accept the need for cooperation despite their different political histories and interests.
“These are critical times for the Yoruba people and Nigeria as a whole. For Osun people and her gladiators, we must accept God’s will and rally round the President irrespective of our previous disagreements,” he said.
The governor called on members of the campaign council to return to their respective constituencies and mobilise support for Tinubu.
He said the alliance should be guided by a commitment to moving beyond past political disagreements and building cooperation around the presidential contest.
“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.
His remarks highlighted the central message of the inauguration: that political actors who may contest against one another in other elections should be able to cooperate on the presidential race.
The governor subsequently declared the Osun State Presidential Campaign Council inaugurated, charging its members to work towards achieving the coalition’s vote target.
With the inauguration concluded, the campaign council is expected to coordinate political activities and mobilisation efforts across Osun ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
The targets announced at the event set an ambitious agenda for the council. Adeleke referred to an earlier commitment to deliver more than 1.5 million votes, while Omisore urged stakeholders to aim for two million votes.
Achieving either target would require sustained mobilisation, coordination among the participating political structures and the ability to persuade eligible voters to turn out on election day.
The council’s challenge will be to translate the public declarations of support into effective grassroots organisation while managing the competing interests of political parties whose cooperation is limited to the presidential contest.
For the APC, the arrangement offers an opportunity to seek support through political structures beyond its own membership. For Adeleke and other coalition partners, it provides a framework for cooperating on the presidential election without abandoning their separate political identities and legislative ambitions.
The inauguration therefore marks the beginning of a coordinated campaign effort in Osun, with political leaders setting out their expectations and calling on supporters to work towards Tinubu’s re-election.
Whether the campaign can deliver the announced vote targets will depend on the effectiveness of its mobilisation strategy and the choices voters make when they go to the polls in January 2027.
