Former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinade Akinbade, has attributed the decision of some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders to support the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamijì, to what he described as Governor Ademola Adeleke’s failure to carry them along in the affairs of his administration and political decision-making.
Akinbade made the disclosure on Monday while featuring on SABENKO, a political affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he spoke extensively on the emerging political realignment ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
According to him, some of the political stakeholders currently supporting Oyebamijì had previously worked with and supported Adeleke during his political journey within the PDP, contributing their experience, resources and political support to his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate and eventual governor.
He alleged, however, that the relationship became strained after Adeleke assumed office, claiming that the stakeholders were no longer sufficiently consulted or carried along in decisions concerning the political direction and administration of the state.
According to the former SSG, “Our ideas and experience were not sufficiently accommodated by the administration. Some of us had worked with Adeleke, supported him and contributed our own quota to the political process that brought him to government, so naturally we expected to be carried along. But when there is no consultation and stakeholders no longer feel included in the affairs of government, it creates a gap between the administration and the people who helped build the political structure.” He alleged.
Akinbade said the stakeholders expected their experience, ideas and contributions to be accommodated within the administration, but alleged that their inability to establish what he described as a functional relationship with the governor eventually contributed to their decision to withdraw their support.
The former SSG insisted that the political realignment was not primarily motivated by financial considerations, maintaining that those involved had invested their time, resources, experience and political capital in the political process that brought Adeleke to power.
“Our political realignment was not motivated by financial considerations. We invested time, money, experience and political capital in the political process that brought this administration to power, and these are things that cannot simply be ignored. What we expected was participation, consultation and recognition of the contributions we made to the political process,” he said.
According to him, the disagreement was fundamentally about consultation, participation and inclusion, rather than personal financial interests.
Akinbade said the current alliance with the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamijì, therefore represents a political response to what he described as a breakdown in the relationship between the governor and some of the stakeholders who had previously supported him.
He further linked the emerging alliance to a broader political structure associated with the Tanimu Turaki camp, describing the development as part of the fluid nature of Nigerian politics, where political actors can reassess their alliances based on prevailing circumstances and political interests.
“Politics is not static. Political actors can change their positions when circumstances change, and that is what has happened. The people involved are looking at the prevailing political situation and have decided to support Bola Oyebamijì because they believe that is the direction they want to go,” Akinbade said.
The veteran politician also drew from his extensive political experience, noting that he had been actively involved in politics since the late 1990s and had served under different administrations.
He maintained that his current political position was informed by years of experience in government and party politics, rather than a decision taken without consideration of the broader political consequences.
When asked whether the political realignment could be interpreted as a personal disagreement with Governor Adeleke, Akinbade maintained that political participation goes beyond personal relationships and should involve meaningful consultation and recognition of stakeholders.
He also dismissed the suggestion that the political group would lose its relevance if Governor Adeleke eventually secures another term, describing politics as a “game of plus and minus.”
“Politics is a game of plus and minus. You cannot say that because somebody is in government today, everybody who takes a different political position has become irrelevant. Political relevance is built over time through relationships, structures and the people you have worked with, and nobody can completely write off those structures because of one election,” he said.
Akinbade expressed confidence in the chances of the political bloc supporting Oyebamijì, arguing that the people of Osun State are politically conscious and capable of determining the outcome of the election through their votes.
Asked to assess Oyebamijì’s suitability for the governorship, Akinbade gave an emphatic endorsement, describing the APC candidate as “even more than perfect” for the position.
“For me, Bola Oyebamijì is even more than perfect for the position. He has the experience, he understands the political terrain and I believe he has what it takes to govern Osun State. But supporting Oyebamijì does not mean that we must condemn the other candidates; it is simply our choice based on who we believe can best serve the interest of the state,” he said.
He nevertheless maintained that his support for Oyebamijì did not require him to condemn other candidates participating in the election.
Akinbade’s comments came just hours after former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, featured on Eagle 102.5 FM’s Frontline, where he expressed similar concerns over Governor Adeleke’s handling of political relationships and the process surrounding his movement from the PDP to the Accord Party.
Oyinlola, who alongside Akinbade and other PDP stakeholders recently endorsed Oyebamijì, had similarly spoken about the issue of inclusion, saying the group had expected greater consultation and participation in the political process. The former governor’s position echoed Akinbade’s argument that the grievances were not primarily about personal interests but about the way stakeholders were treated and carried along by the administration. The development comes amid the endorsement of Oyebamijì by the Oyinlola-led PDP group, which has added fresh momentum to the APC candidate’s campaign ahead of the August 15 election.
The parallel positions of Oyinlola and Akinbade have consequently placed the issue of stakeholder inclusion at the centre of the latest political realignment in Osun, with the development highlighting the growing battle among the major contenders to consolidate political structures, party loyalists and influential stakeholders across the state ahead of Saturday’s poll.
