- Safiu Kehinde
There is an air of unease among governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Congress in Osun after the meeting between Governor Ademola Adeleke with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday.
NPO Reports that the Adeleke Family among whom is the incumbent visited President Tinubu, with the eldest brother, Deji Adeleke and his son and sensational Afrobeat singer, David popularly called Davido, visited Tinubu who is currently on a working visit to Lagos.
The meeting, which became public knowledge with photos and videos of the visit going viral on social media, is said to be causing disbelief and concerns among APC stalwarts in the state, especially the governorship aspirants.
Prominent among those who have expressed their interests in displacing Governor Adeleke are Director General of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Alhaji Bola Oyebanji, current National Secretary of the APC, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, a former governorship candidate, Chief Akin Ogunbiyi, a chieftain of the party who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Dotun Babayemi.
Others who have shown interests include former senator representing Osun East senatorial district, Babajide Omoworare, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kunle Adegoke and former National Secretary of the party, Chief Iyiola Omisore.
Already social media platforms are awash with arguments, attacks and counter-attacks among party loyalists who are still trying to make meaning out of the meeting between the Governor, his brother and nephew, Davido.
NPO Reports that there have been an increase in the relationship between Davido and son of the President, Mr. Seyi Tinubu.
Davido himself had visited Tinubu in Abuja last week in company with some of his friends such as a showbiz guru, Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu, known as Cubana Chief Priest who is also a governorship aspirant in Imo state.
Though details of the meeting between Tinubu and the Adelekes were not made public, it was believed that it was not unconnected with Adeleke’s bid for a second term in the election holding next year.
Just this week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that the governorship election for Osun state will hold on August 18, 2026.
Last month, there were speculations that Adeleke could defect to the APC amidst growing cases of defections from the opposition PDP.
Adeleke had however denied this via a statement by his aides.
Also debunking the rumour during a press conference in Osogbo on Wednesday, was the immediate past Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, who maintained that the governorship ticket of the APC is not for sale to the Adeleke family.
Owoeye disclosed that the party does not see Governor Ademola Adeleke as part of the Osun APC family.
“APC ticket is not for sale for the Adeleke family categorically.
“As a matter of fact, as of today, we don’t see Governor Ademola Adeleke as part of the APC.” He said.
NPO Reports gathered from Tuesday night till Wednesday that some of the APC governorship aspirants have started thinking of exercising caution in their engagements especially on activities that could make them spend more money.
“I think by this morning, some of our people are beginning to wait till the coast is clear and we have a clear direction where we are going,” one of the coordinators of an aspirant who preferred not to be named, confided the NPO Reports Wednesday morning.
Already, most leaders of the party were pandering towards a candidate from the Osun West senatorial district which has Oyebanji.
According to findings, Oyebanji, who appeared to be the choice of the camp of the former Governor and serving Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, was settled for in the calculation that he could split the votes accruable to Adeleke who hails from Ede in the same West senatorial zone.
It was also gathered that one of the prominent aspirants from Osun Central senatorial district has summoned a meeting to be held in his Osogbo residence on Sallah day with the aim of reviewing the implications of the meeting of Tinubu with Adeleke for his governorship ambition.
One of his coordinators who spoke with the NPO Reports on the condition her name would not be mentioned said that the aspirant wants to use his position as an official of the party to dig deeper into the outcome of the meeting before knowing the next step.
“No one is bold enough now to ask the President what exactly transpired at that meeting. But the fear is that President Tinubu and Adeleke could negotiate for mutual advantages since Adeleke would be ready to mobilise support for Tinubu in 2027 if he gets the President’s backing for his own re-election next year. The waiting is on,” said a chieftain of the party who spoke with the NPO Reports Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the APC National Secretary and aspirant, Ajibola Bashiru, in a chat with NPO Reports Correspondent, said he has no details of Adeleke’s visitation to the President as well as what transpired in the course of the visit.
“I don’t have details of the visitation or what transpired at the visit, so I am not in a position to make informed comment.” he said.
The state chairman of the party Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal, who spoke with the NPO Reports correspondent said he was in a noisy place. A message sent to him was yet to be responded to as at the time of filing this report.