After Osun victory, Adeleke renews support for Tinubu’s 2027 bid

By Lateef Ibrahim

Fresh from securing a second term in office, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has used his victory speech to reaffirm his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for another term in 2027, describing the President as a “son of Osun State.”
Adeleke made the declaration on Sunday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) formally announced him as winner of the Osun governorship election.
The governor, while acknowledging Tinubu’s role in the electoral process, praised the President for what he described as his commitment to ensuring a free, fair and credible election in the state.
“At this point, I must deeply appreciate Mr President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election,” Adeleke said.
He then used the occasion to renew his earlier endorsement of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential ambition.
“President Tinubu is son of Osun State and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election,” he declared.
The endorsement is politically significant coming immediately after Adeleke’s victory, particularly given the governor’s membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Tinubu is the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adeleke’s position also underscores the increasingly complex political calculations surrounding the 2027 presidential contest, where alliances and personal relationships are beginning to cut across party lines.
The President had earlier congratulated Adeleke on his electoral victory.
INEC declared Adeleke the winner after he defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, across the state.
The governor secured 511,067 votes and won in 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes and won 11 local government areas.
Beyond the immediate outcome of the governorship election, Adeleke’s renewed endorsement of Tinubu introduces another dimension to the political realignments ahead of 2027.
It places the Osun governor among opposition figures who, despite belonging to a different political party, have publicly expressed support for the incumbent President’s re-election bid.
For Tinubu, the endorsement could provide additional political capital in Osun, particularly after the President’s intervention and public commitment to the credibility of the governorship election.
For Adeleke, meanwhile, the declaration marks a continuation of his previously stated position and signals that his relationship with the President may remain politically relevant despite the wider rivalry between the PDP and APC.