13/10/2026
รฦคฦลฦรลล ฮลโฌ ฤฦVฦฤโฌฤ!
ฮฤโฌลโฌาโฌ, ลฆฦลแปฎฮฒแปฎ ฮลฤ ลฆฤฆโฌ ฦครลฦลฆฦฤฮล ฤฦลโฌฮฮฮ โฃฮฤฦลวค รลแปฎล
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has reportedly been made the campaign coordinator for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's second-term ambition in Osun State ahead of the next general election.
This development has generated mixed reactions among political observers, supporters of Governor Adeleke, members of the Accord Party, and opposition figures in Osun State.
While some see this as a strategic political move capable of strengthening Adeleke's relationship with the Federal Government, others are asking a fundamental question: At what cost does this alliance come to the political future of Adeleke, Accord, and the leaders who made his victory possible?
1. ADELEKE, THE OSUN APC FACTION AND THE MAKINDE EXPERIENCE: A POLITICAL CALCULATION?
The first concern is the possible reaction of Osun APC leaders and loyalists who have spent years opposing Adeleke's administration. Will they readily accept a political arrangement in which the governor they have consistently criticised suddenly becomes a key figure in President Tinubu's re-election campaign in Osun?
More importantly, what happens to the political interests of those who have stood firmly behind Adeleke and the Accord Party?
Political alliances are rarely built on sentiments alone. They are often driven by negotiations, interests, and calculations about the future.
However, the experience of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State during the 2023 general election offers an important lesson. Makinde's political positioning outside the mainstream PDP presidential campaign, alongside his G5 group's opposition to the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, exposed the deep divisions within the PDP.
The consequences of that period remain an important subject of discussion about party loyalty, political alliances, and the long-term survival of political structures. The PDP has since suffered further internal crises, defections, leadership disputes, and weakening cohesion, while several prominent political figures have moved into new political arrangements.
The lesson is not necessarily that Makinde alone caused the PDP's difficulties. Rather, it is that political manoeuvres that appear advantageous to individual leaders can have wider consequences for their parties and political allies.
The critical question for Osun is this: Could Adeleke's new political positioning strengthen his personal relationship with the Presidency while creating uncertainty for Accord's federal lawmakers, political stakeholders, and the party's future?
Governor Adeleke may have compelling reasons for his decision. Access to the Federal Government, development opportunities, and strategic political negotiations may all be part of the calculation.
Nevertheless, political history teaches that a leader must consider not only the immediate benefits of an alliance but also its consequences for the people and political structures that helped him rise to power.
2. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ACCORD AND ITS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ASPIRANTS?
The second major concern is the future of Accord Party members and political leaders who are preparing for the next general election.
Among those whose political calculations may be affected are Senator Akogun Lere Oyewumi, Hon. Bamidele Salam, and other political stakeholders whose ambitions depend on the evolving political situation.
If Adeleke's relationship with Tinubu becomes a central feature of Osun's political strategy, what happens to Accord's independent political identity?
Will Accord continue to build its own strength and pursue its candidates' interests at the federal level? Or could the new arrangement create competing loyalties between the governor's political strategy and the aspirations of Accord's National Assembly members?
These are legitimate questions that deserve answers.
A governor's political decision does not automatically determine the political future of every member of his party. However, when the governor is the party's most influential political figure, his decisions can significantly affect the calculations of other leaders.
The challenge is to ensure that a strategy designed to benefit the governor does not unintentionally weaken the political future of the very people and structures that helped secure his victory.
3. THE BIGGER QUESTION: CAN ADELEKE BALANCE FEDERAL ALLIANCE WITH GRASSROOTS LOYALTY?
Governor Adeleke's political strength in Osun has been built on a combination of personal popularity, grassroots mobilisation, party structures, and the support of political stakeholders.
His supporters will naturally expect any new political alliance to deliver tangible benefits without undermining those foundations.
The issue, therefore, is not simply whether Adeleke should work with Tinubu. Political cooperation between leaders across party lines is neither unusual nor inherently wrong.
The real issue is the terms, timing, and consequences of that cooperation.
Can Adeleke maintain a productive relationship with the Presidency while protecting Accord's interests? Can he pursue federal opportunities without alienating the political stakeholders who stood with him? Can his administration preserve the confidence of its supporters while negotiating a new political arrangement?
These questions will determine whether the move becomes a masterstroke or a political gamble.
CONCLUSION: A STRATEGIC MOVE OR A POLITICAL GAMBLE?
Politics is a game of interests, and every political alliance comes with expectations and possible consequences.
Governor Adeleke has the right to explore relationships that he believes will benefit Osun State. However, the long-term success of any political arrangement must be measured not only by the benefits it brings to one individual but also by its impact on the party, its elected representatives, and the people who supported it.
The experience of the PDP during and after the 2023 general election reminds political leaders that internal divisions and competing ambitions can have consequences that extend far beyond a single election.
Osun must therefore watch this development carefully.
Will Adeleke's alliance with Tinubu strengthen Osun's bargaining power at the centre, or will it create new political uncertainties for Accord and its leaders?
Will the governor emerge stronger from this arrangement, or will the political interests of his allies become casualties of a broader negotiation?
Opinions are divided. The political calculations are unfolding. The consequences will become clearer with time.
New Era Vanguard โ Beyond Politics, Building the Future.
