Osun 2026: PDP’s Oyinlola, Akinbade declare support for APC candidate Oyebamiji

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, have declared their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the August 15 election.

Oyinlola and Akinbade, both members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made their position known on Sunday at the WOCDIF Event Centre in Osogbo, where they were joined by other party leaders, members and former political office holders.

Oyinlola said their decision to support Oyebamiji was based on their conscience and what they considered to be the best interest of Osun State, stressing that the move did not amount to defection from the PDP.

“We are not defecting from the PDP but have resolved to support a candidate we believe can provide inclusive leadership and a different direction for the state. Party loyalty is important, but the interest of Osun State must always come first,” he said.

Oyinlola said the group’s decision to back Oyebamiji was “born out of necessity, conviction and our sincere desire for the progress of Osun State”.

The former national secretary of the PDP said the group had supported the emergence of the present PDP administration but became dissatisfied with what he described as a lack of inclusiveness in governance.

“We were among the major stakeholders who worked tirelessly towards the emergence of the present administration under the platform of the PDP. We believed in that project. We supported it. We mobilised our people for it. We invested our time, energy and political capital in it because we believed that it represented the aspirations of our people,” Oyinlola said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign Council, Hon. Wole Oke, apologised to the PDP leaders for supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke’s 2022 election bid against their position.