By Nnamdi Ojiego
More revelations have been made on the speculated defection of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Sunday Vanguard learnt, at the weekend, that the group loyal to the Minister of Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, apparently had a hand in how the plan was aborted.
Inside sources at a stakeholders’ meeting involving APC leaders in Osun, reportedly held at the behest of the minister at the weekend at the Ilerioluwa House, Ogo Oluwa, on Friday, said although the meeting was convened primarily to map out strategies on how the APC can win Osun during the 2026 and 2027 elections, notes were compared on the issues of Adeleke and withheld state’s LG allocations.
The revelations allegedly made by a particular top leader include his efforts that blocked Adeleke from joining the APC, his assurance that President Bola Tinubu would win the state without the Adelekes, his alleged securing of cooperation of INEC and police support ahead of 2026, his opposition to the court ruling favorable to the PDP on the local government leadership in the state, and the vow that the Federal Government will continue to withhold Osun LG allocations if they would not be paid to APC council Chairmen.
The sources also revealed that details of how the party hoped to win 2026 elections and efforts being made to mobilise resources to ensure victory for the party at the forthcoming polls were discussed.
The influential leader of the party reportedly recalled why the APC lost the governorship election to the PDP in 2022, citing the refusal of the late President Muhammadu Buhari to direct security agencies and the electoral body to back the APC.
While the support the influential member referred to was not clear, he was quoted further to have affirmed that the situation would be different in 2026 as the APC leadership was ready to ensure victory in Osun.
It was also allegedly revealed at the meeting that contrary to reports making the rounds, Adeleke was deliberately blocked from joining APC by a senior member of the party in the state. The senior member of the party was said to have hinted that he had secured the understanding of Tinubu that the APC can win Osun without the governor.
The game plan, according to the sources, appeared to have been been activated already with the impasse allegedly deliberately created over the withheld allocations to the state’s local governments and the attempt by the powers-that-be to turn the grassroots against Adeleke.
It will be recalled that contrary to most legal opinions that affirmed the Appeal Court ruling to be in favour of Osun State government, the Federal Government has continued to withhold allocations to the state’s local governments, an issue political stakeholders have continued to disavow as unsavoury political action.
Though it has not yet been revealed how it will be done, the top party leader allegedly told the meeting that some top legal officers had been engaged to find loopholes to allow the payment of the LG withheld allocations to be made to the state APC LG Chairmen sacked by the Appeal Court.
