By Peace Udugba
The Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu allegedly asked Governor Ademola Adeleke to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the governor eventually moved from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party.
Alimi made the disclosure on Thursday while appearing on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, where he responded to criticism by former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, over Adeleke’s decision to leave the PDP ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Oyinlola, who appeared on the programme on Tuesday, had criticised Adeleke for allegedly failing to consult key PDP stakeholders before defecting to the Accord Party.
Reacting, Alimi said the decision should be viewed against the background of longstanding disagreements between Adeleke and some PDP leaders.
“I’m saying this on radio now, there was a request by the President that Adeleke should join APC,” Alimi said.
The commissioner, however, did not disclose when or where the alleged request was made, and the claim could not be independently verified from the interview.
Alimi also alleged that some of the PDP elders now criticising Adeleke’s move to Accord had previously opposed the governor joining the APC and instead advised him to consider the Accord Party.
He specifically mentioned Oyinlola, former Osun PDP chairman Fatai Akinmade and Tajudeen Olayiwola Oladipo.
According to Alimi, Oyinlola had previously suggested that Accord was the safest political platform for Adeleke and had linked the party to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“They are part of the people. Ask anybody, Baba Oyinlola was the first one on radio who said, the only party that is safe for Adeleke to join is the Accord,” Alimi said.
He further claimed that Oyinlola had opposed Adeleke joining the APC because of the political identity associated with the party.
Alimi also alleged that Oyinlola had previously stated that he would rather quit politics than join the APC.
“Baba Oyinlola even said that if to join APC is the only option, he would rather quit politics,” he said.
2022 PDP Primary Crisis
The commissioner traced the strained relationship between Adeleke and some PDP elders to the party’s 2022 governorship primary, during which parallel primaries were held.
According to him, some party leaders supported Dr Dotun Babayemi against Adeleke, resulting in a prolonged legal battle that eventually reached the Supreme Court.
“They did not support Adeleke in 2022, even in 2018. They supported one, Dr Babayemi, and the case was brought up to the Supreme Court,” Alimi said.
He argued that Adeleke’s victories in the legal battles made reconciliation between the factions difficult.
“When Adeleke won all the cases, they could not reintegrate properly into the mainstream of the party,” he said.
Alimi described the situation as an “old wound” that had not fully healed, rather than simply a failure by Adeleke to consult stakeholders before joining Accord.
He said a delegation comprising the Deputy Governor, himself, the Secretary to the State Government and the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly had visited Oyinlola at his residence in Okuku to discuss the grievances.
According to Alimi, Oyinlola explained his concerns and indicated that he expected Adeleke to personally visit him.
The commissioner said the delegation was subsequently surprised to learn that Oyinlola had adopted an APC candidate ahead of the election.
“About three weeks after, we just heard that Baba Oyinlola has adopted APM candidate in Osun,” he said.
Alimi said the development was unexpected because those who had previously opposed Adeleke joining the APC were now supporting an APC candidate.
Alimi Defends Adeleke
Alimi rejected the suggestion that Adeleke deliberately ignored or disregarded senior PDP stakeholders.
He maintained that the governor and his associates had made efforts to reconcile with the party leaders but that longstanding disagreements remained unresolved.
“This is not about consultation, it’s about perhaps the whole wound has not properly healed,” he said.
The commissioner also defended Adeleke’s performance in office, claiming that some individuals who previously criticised the governor had changed their views after observing his administration’s performance.
He said the current opposition from some political elders should therefore be understood within the context of the longstanding divisions within the Osun PDP.
According to him, Adeleke’s decision to join Accord followed unsuccessful attempts to resolve the PDP crisis and reach an acceptable political settlement among the party’s various factions.
Tinubu, APC Back Oyebamiji
The disclosure comes less than 48 hours before the August 15 Osun governorship election, in which Adeleke, now contesting under the Accord platform, is seeking another term.
The APC is seeking to reclaim Osun State with its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, while the party has publicly maintained that President Tinubu’s support in the election is for its candidate rather than Adeleke.
Alimi’s claim that Tinubu personally asked Adeleke to join the APC could not be independently established from the interview. The commissioner also did not provide details of the circumstances surrounding the alleged request.
The disclosure nevertheless adds another dimension to the political realignment ahead of Saturday’s election, with Adeleke’s defection from the PDP to Accord and the divisions among Osun political stakeholders becoming major issues in the contest.
