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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
In a major political realignment ahead of the upcoming Osun State governorship election, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has formally declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Oyinlola was joined by prominent PDP figures, including former State Secretary Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and former PDP National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, during the declaration event in Osogbo.
Addressing party loyalists and stakeholders, Oyinlola clarified that the group remains within the PDP fold and is not officially defecting, but stressed that their conscience and the future of Osun State take precedence over strict party loyalty.
“Our membership of the PDP is not in question,” Oyinlola stated. “However, being members of a political party does not mean that we should abandon our conscience or the larger interest of the people we have served.”
Recalling their efforts in bringing the current administration to power, Oyinlola lamented that the initial vision had fractured due to a lack of inclusiveness in governance. He noted that the PDP has historically thrived on consultation and collective responsibility, values he claims have been abandoned.
“We are not here to announce our defection from the PDP. Rather, we are exercising our conscience as stakeholders who have served this state and who believe that, at this particular moment, Osun State requires a different direction,” Oyinlola said.
Oyinlola outlined high expectations for good governance, economic development, infrastructure, and an inclusive government where every indigene feels represented if Oyebamiji is elected.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Oyebamiji Campaign Council, Hon. Wole Oke, used the occasion to publicly apologize to the PDP leaders for defying their instructions to support Governor Ademola Adeleke during the 2022 election cycle.
The high-profile convergence also drew prominent APC figures, including the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; former PDP Board of Trustees member Pa Shuaib Oyedokun; former Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; OAU Governing Council Chairman, Hon. Adejare Bello; Executive Director of Marine and operation of the Nigerian Port Authority, Engr. Lekan Badmus, and several other political heavyweights.
