The Imole Campaign Council has dismissed reports suggesting that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke is planning to defect from the Accord Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The campaign council, which coordinated Adeleke’s campaign activities in the August 15 governorship election, described Adeleke’s visit to Tinubu as customary and part of the political tradition following off-cycle elections in Nigeria.
The chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Imole Campaign Council, Hon. Bamidele Salam, refuted the speculations in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
Salam, who chairs the House of Representatives’ Public Accounts Committee, said the governor’s visit and top members of his campaign team had absolutely nothing to do with a plan to move from the Accord Party to the APC, as being insinuated in certain quarters.
“Governor Adeleke, like every other Governor who emerged victorious in an off cycle election, has a responsibility to show respect and appreciation to the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces whose charge in various pre-election speeches and statements was to the effect that the electoral umpire and Security agencies must allow for a free and fair election in Osun State.
“The visit also afforded Mr. President, as the father of the nation and the Osun State governor, a platform to discuss issues pertaining to peace, security, and progress of Osun State after the tense election.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the visit of Mr. Governor and top members of his campaign team had absolutely nothing to do with a plan to move from Accord to the All Progressives Congress as being insinuated in certain quarters.
“We wish to state unequivocally that at no stage during the visit to Mr. President was the issue of decamping to the APC discussed.
“The Imole Campaign Council appreciates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity of the visit and assures all supporters of Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke of the governor’s continued commitment to the service of the good people of Osun State who stood solidly by him in the recently concluded elections,” the statement read.
Similarly, the coordinator of the campaign council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said the re-elected governor’s visit to President Tinubu is in line with the customs and political tradition at the conclusion of off-cycle elections in the country.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Olajengbesi said Adeleke’s visit to Tinubu was a courtesy call and a demonstration of respect for the office of the president, insisting that the governor remained a member of the Accord Party.
“The visit of Governor Ademola Adeleke to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the proper thing to do. It is the norm; it is the standard.
“We all agree that Nigeria is a federation. We have three tiers of government—the federal government, the state government, and, of course, the local government.
“Osun State is a sub-nation now under the Nigerian government, and we don’t intend to take Osun State out of Nigeria. So we understand, and I think the governor deemed it necessary to pay a courtesy call to Mr. President as a sign of respect to the office of the president.
“The visit of Mr. Governor to Mr. President is not taking the people of Osun State for granted, but the intention is to amplify the aspiration of the people of Osun State.
“The essence of that visit has nothing to do with Governor Ademola Adeleke joining APC. It’s an impossibility. Governor Ademola Adeleke is not joining APC,” he said.
Olajengbesi also dismissed claims that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) worked with the Accord Party’s candidate, Govenror Adeleke, in the last weekend election.
“ADC did not reach out to us. We are not interested in collaborating with any political party,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adeleke the winner of the Osun governorship election conducted on Saturday, August 15, 2025.
The governor scored 511,067 votes to defeat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
Adeleke on Thursday visited President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, where he presented his certificate of return to the Nigerian leader.
While insinuations emerged that the Osun governor might join the president’s party, the APC, following the meeting, his campaign team dismissed such suggestions.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
