A Former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has explained his decision to withdraw support for Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, throwing his weight behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
Oyinlola, a former governor and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, said his decision was informed by what he described as the need for a new political direction for Osun State.
The development represents a significant shift from Oyinlola’s earlier position. In 2024, he had publicly praised Adeleke’s performance and said the governor’s achievements could guarantee him a second term.
However, ahead of the 2026 election, Oyinlola and other PDP stakeholders have moved away from Adeleke’s camp. Earlier in June, Oyinlola’s faction of the PDP endorsed the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Adewale Adebayo, citing an alliance between the faction and APM.
The latest endorsement of Oyebamiji, if confirmed as a fresh development, would therefore mark another major political realignment involving the former governor as the election approaches.
Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, is the APC candidate in the August 15 governorship election, while Adeleke is seeking re-election on the Accord Party platform.
The election has increasingly become a four-way political contest involving Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Najeem and Adebayo, with endorsements, defections and realignments intensifying in the final days before the poll
