By Osaretin Osadebamwen
Former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has explained why he is backing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, against incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15, 2026 Osun governorship election.
Oyinlola, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said his decision was informed by several concerns about the Adeleke administration and his conviction that Osun State needs a new direction.
The former governor said political developments within the PDP at the national level made him and other stakeholders anticipate that the crisis would eventually affect the party in Osun State.
The former governor of Osun State said this while fielding question in Channels TV on Thursday night.a
“Firstly, when the political party was hit by serious problems at the national level, we foresaw that it would eventually affect us at the state level, so we thought of a way out,” Oyinlola said.
According to him, discussions were initially held with the APC and Governor Adeleke, with plans for a stakeholders’ summit, but the expected engagement did not materialise.
“We started the discussion with the APC and the governor himself, with the agreement that when they returned from Atlanta, we would have a stakeholders’ summit. Surprisingly, that did not happen,” he said.
Oyinlola’s first major grievance against Adeleke is what he described as uneven development across Osun State. He argued that the founding philosophy of the state was based on equitable development across its senatorial districts.
“If we have to go back in history, the policy choice of the founding fathers of Osun State was that there should be even and equal development of the state all around,” he said.
He added that, in his assessment, the present administration had departed from that principle.
“I think what we have witnessed under the regime of Governor Ademola Adeleke is truly far from the policy choice of the founding fathers of Osun State,” Oyinlola said.
Using an analogy, the former governor argued that government resources should not be concentrated in one area at the expense of others.
“When you scale things in preference to your own area, it does not go well. If there are 10 pieces of meat in the bowl of an association and the leader makes away with eight out of the 10 pieces of meat, I doubt if that association will progress,” he said.
Oyinlola also accused the Adeleke administration of poor consultation and lack of inclusiveness, saying political stakeholders were no longer sufficiently carried along.
“As a party, the engine oil that services a political party is consultation,” he said, lamenting that the PDP headquarters in Osogbo had not held meetings for a long period.
According to him, party meetings provide the platform for politicians to exchange ideas and resolve differences.
“That is the arena through which politicians will rub their minds. No more of that,” he said.
The former governor also criticised what he considers to be a broader failure of governance, insisting that his opposition to Adeleke is not simply about personal grievances or political differences.
“My conviction is that things have not been done to the best interest of the people of Osun State,” he declared.
Oyinlola maintained that his decision to support AMBO was therefore based on conviction rather than political expediency. He said Oyebamiji’s background as a former Nigerian Army officer influenced his assessment of the APC candidate.
“AMBO, as an officer who served for 30 solid years in the Nigerian Army, you don’t jump into conclusions. You take a position, and you do not make a conclusion that will lead you to a positive end,” he said.
“I think I have done that, and I am not regretting what I have done.”
Oyinlola’s endorsement of Oyebamiji has added another significant dimension to the closely contested Osun governorship race. Recent reports confirmed that the former governor and members of his PDP faction formally backed the APC candidate, while insisting that their support for AMBO did not amount to abandoning the PDP.
For Oyinlola, however, the overriding consideration remains the future of Osun State.
“Even if I amm not wanted in my place, the best bet is to take a new direction,” he said.
