Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has secured a dominant role in a new power-sharing arrangement with the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress.
According to Leadership, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, reportedly brokered the deal.
Sources privy to the negotiations said Adeleke had effectively become the leader of the coalition driving President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the state, even though he has yet to leave the Accord Party (A).
The governor won the last election on the Accord Party platform after leaving the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15, 2026, governorship election with 511,067 votes.
He defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes, by a margin of 66,252 votes across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The returning officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, announced the result in the early hours of August 16 at the INEC office in Osogbo.
Under the terms of the deal, Adeleke will coordinate the coalition’s activities and secure a larger share of political appointments, especially at the federal level.
The arrangement marks a major shift in the Osun APC’s power structure, long dominated by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Oyetola, regarded as a close ally of the President, had held sway over the party’s state leadership and candidate selection process.
He was said to have been instrumental in selecting Oyebamiji as the governorship candidate, his running mate and the party’s senatorial candidates, and in influencing nominations for other positions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Other major players in the power tussle are the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and a former deputy governor and ex-National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
Under the reported terms, Adeleke will nominate chairmen for 20 of the 30 local government areas, while Oyetola, Omisore, and Basiru will share the remaining 10.
The four leaders are also to nominate councillors in the councils allocated to their respective camps.
Out-Of-Court Settlement Of LG Dispute
Sources said the lingering legal battle over the control of local government councils in the state would be resolved amicably.
Under the plan, the parties will inform the Court of Appeal of their intention to settle out of court and seek time to agree on terms, which would then be adopted as the court’s judgment.
“The two parties are to inform the court that the issues will be resolved amicably, and the court is expected to give them time to meet and return with the terms of settlement, which will be the judgment of the court when eventually adopted,” a source said.
The source disclosed that while the Omisore and Basiru camps welcomed the arrangement, the Oyetola camp was unhappy with it.
“You know, the Oyetola group was having everything before? The group was in charge of the party’s leadership; it was also solely responsible for nominating people for federal appointments and other positions. Now, things are changing,” the source said.
According to the source, the deal gives Omisore and Basiru a stake they never had, while significantly reducing Oyetola’s share.
“For the Basiru and the Omisore groups, it is a welcome development. Both camps are coming from zero allocation to something, while the Oyetola camp is coming from 100 per cent allocation to less than 20 per cent now,” the source added.
