Osun 2026: Adeleke dismisses Oyinlola’s Oyebamiji endorsement, labels him ‘paperweight’

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has described former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola as a “paperweight” following his endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, saying the decision would not affect his chances in Saturday’s election.

Speaking at the Arise Town Hall organised by Arise News ahead of the August 15 governorship election, Adeleke said Oyinlola had never supported the Adeleke family politically, arguing that his decision to back Oyebamiji was therefore not unexpected.

The governor recalled that Oyinlola did not support him when he contested for the Senate in the 2017 off-cycle election, during the 2018 governorship election or in 2022, when he alleged that the former governor supported another candidate.

He said, “Oyinlola never supported the Adeleke family, and we have always supported him. It is good that he didn’t support me because if he had supported me, anything could happen”.

According to Adeleke, Oyinlola later approached him after his victory and asked that they should not fight, a request he accepted because, in his words, he had a “forgiving spirit”.

The governor further said he had assisted Oyinlola after the former governor complained that he did not have a car, alleging that he gave him a new vehicle.

Describing Oyinlola as a “paperweight”, Adeleke said he was not concerned about the former governor’s endorsement, insisting that it would not affect the outcome of the election.

“He is a paperweight. I’m not worried about him. He is not going to affect anything,” he added.