The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has unveiled a 168-member presidential and parliamentary campaign council tasked with mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and canvassing votes for the party’s candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The composition of the council was announced in a statement signed by the state APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, and made available in Osogbo on Monday. According to the statement, the campaign body was constituted to strengthen the party’s prospects at the polls.
Lawal explained that the party carefully selected leaders and members across the state to serve on the council, describing the move as part of efforts to secure an all-round victory for the President as well as the party’s National and State Assembly candidates.
Oyebamiji to Lead Campaign Council
Bola Oyebamiji, the party’s candidate in the August 8 governorship election, will serve as Director-General of the campaign council, while Lawal, the state party chairman, will act as Deputy Director-General.
Oyebamiji’s running mate in the governorship election, Benjamin Adereti, and Kehinde Olamolu are to serve as Assistant Director-General 1 and 2, respectively.
The council also includes the party’s three senatorial candidates and its nine House of Representatives candidates. Other members are former Speaker of the House of Representatives Foluke Etteh; four former deputy governors, Adeleke Adewoyin, Iyiola Omisore, Titi Laoye-Ponnle and Adegboyega Alabi; retired General Alani Akinrinade; Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode; and the party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, among others.
Party Cites Inaugurations in Abuja and Osun
In the statement, the party said the decision followed the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council by the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Abuja on October 14, 2026, and the subsequent inauguration of the Osun State Presidential Campaign Council by Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke on October 22, 2026.
The party said it considered it extremely important to bolster the efforts of the campaign council to deliver massive votes for the President’s re-election in the forthcoming general elections.
“We have therefore carefully selected All Progressives Congress leaders and members in Osun State to actualise our collective desire of ensuring all-round victory for the President as well as our National and State Assembly candidates,” the statement read.
It added: “As a party, we are resolute to work in unison with every member of the state presidential campaign council to deliver on our mandate as we muster concerted efforts to ensure victory for all the National and State Assembly candidates of our great party.”
Separate Council Follows Adeleke’s Inauguration
The APC’s formation of a separate campaign council comes after Governor Adeleke inaugurated the party’s Presidential Campaign Council in Osun State on October 22. Adeleke was named coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, a development that has sparked controversy among members of the APC and the Accord Party in the state.
Those present at the inauguration included the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; former governor Chief Bisi Akande; and former deputy governors Senator Iyiola Omisore and Mrs Titi Laoye-Ponnle, among others.
However, former governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola; Oyebamiji, the party’s governorship candidate in the August 15 election; Lawal, the state APC chairman; and other prominent party figures were absent.
In a statement issued the following day, Lawal complained that the party’s leadership in the state had not been consulted in the composition of the campaign council. Speaking at the inauguration, Adeleke insisted that he would work only for President Tinubu’s re-election, ruling out any agreement to support APC candidates contesting legislative seats in the state.
Meanwhile, activities toward the President’s re-election campaign have been gathering momentum in Osun, with stakeholders and groups devising various strategies to woo the electorate. Oyetola recently called for unity among political interests in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that Tinubu could secure 1.5 million votes in the state. The former governor urged APC members to intensify grassroots mobilisation and work toward securing maximum votes for all the party’s candidates.
