By Sunday Ameh
With less than 48 hours to the Osun State governorship election, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu 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, in response to former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s criticism of Adeleke’s decision to leave the PDP for Accord.
Oyinlola had earlier questioned Adeleke’s decision to defect to Accord without, according to him, adequately consulting key stakeholders ahead of Saturday’s election.
Responding to the criticism, Alimi said Adeleke’s political realignment should be viewed against the background of earlier discussions about his possible movement to the APC.
“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 or provide independent evidence to substantiate the claim.
His allegation comes as Tinubu and the APC are campaigning for their candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in an attempt to reclaim Osun, while Adeleke is seeking another term under the Accord platform.
Alimi further challenged the criticism from Oyinlola, arguing that some of the PDP leaders now opposed to Adeleke’s political move had previously advised him against joining the APC.
According to him, Oyinlola, former Osun PDP chairman Fatai Akinmade and Tajudeen Olayiwola Oladipo had earlier opposed Adeleke’s possible movement to the APC and suggested Accord as an alternative.
“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 claimed that Oyinlola had previously linked the Accord Party to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and advised Adeleke to consider the party.
Alimi also recalled Oyinlola’s reported opposition to Adeleke joining the APC, claiming the former governor had once said he would rather quit politics than join the ruling party.
“Baba Oyinlola even said that if to join APC is the only option, he would rather quit politics,” he said.
The commissioner traced the disagreement between Adeleke and some PDP elders to the party’s 2022 governorship primary, when rival factions backed different candidates.
According to him, some of the elders supported Dotun Babayemi against Adeleke, leading to a 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 the subsequent failure to fully reconcile the factions created what he described as an “old wound” within the party.
Alimi said efforts were made to resolve the disagreement, including a visit by a delegation comprising the deputy governor, himself, the Secretary to the State Government and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly to Oyinlola’s residence in Okuku.
He claimed the delegation was later surprised to learn that Oyinlola had backed the APC candidate.
“About three weeks after, we just heard that Baba Oyinlola has adopted APM candidate in Osun,” he said.
“We thought it was a joke, maybe Baba just wants us to come back the second time, only for us to just hear that those people that were kicking against Adeleke going to APC, they are now the ones who are going to adopt an APC candidate.”
Alimi rejected the suggestion that Adeleke’s move to Accord was simply a result of his failure to consult party elders.
“This is not about consultation, it’s about perhaps the whole wound has not properly healed,” he said.
He maintained that Adeleke and his associates had made attempts to reconcile with aggrieved party leaders but failed to resolve the longstanding disagreements.
The commissioner also defended Adeleke’s performance in office, claiming that some individuals who previously criticised the governor had changed their views after witnessing his administration’s performance.
He argued that the opposition to Adeleke from some PDP elders should therefore be understood within the context of the party’s longstanding internal divisions.
Alimi said Adeleke eventually opted for Accord after attempts to resolve the PDP crisis failed to produce an acceptable political arrangement.
The commissioner’s claim about Tinubu allegedly asking Adeleke to join the APC adds another dimension to the political realignment ahead of Saturday’s poll.
However, the allegation could not be independently established from the interview, as Alimi did not provide details of the alleged request.
The Osun election is expected to be a closely watched contest, with Adeleke of Accord facing APC candidate Oyebamiji and other contenders in Saturday’s governorship election.
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