Former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, have declared their support for the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
The two prominent Peoples Democratic Party leaders announced their decision 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 the decision to support Oyebamiji was guided by their conscience and their assessment of what would serve the best interests of Osun State.
He stressed that their support for the APC candidate should not be interpreted as a decision to leave 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,” Oyinlola said.
According to the former governor, while loyalty to a political party remains important, the interest of the state should take precedence.
He described the decision to support Oyebamiji as one driven by “necessity, conviction and our sincere desire for the progress of Osun State.”
Oyinlola, who previously served as national secretary of the PDP, said the group had played a significant role in the emergence of the current PDP administration but had become dissatisfied with what he described as a lack of inclusiveness in the running of the state.
“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,” he said.
He said their latest position reflected their belief that Osun required a different approach to governance and leadership.
The development comes as political activities intensify ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with major parties and their candidates stepping up efforts to secure the support of influential political figures across the state.
Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign Council, Hon. Wole Oke, apologised to the PDP leaders for supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke during the 2022 governorship election despite their position at the time.
The endorsement by Oyinlola and Akinbade is expected to add another significant dimension to the political contest ahead of the Osun governorship poll.
