Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun and Anambra states are growing increasingly uneasy over President Bola Tinubu’s apparent warming relationship with the incumbent governors of both states, Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra).
Party insiders and loyalists fear that the President’s growing affinity with the two governors—both elected on opposition party platforms—could weaken the APC’s position ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in the two states.
In Osun, APC leaders, particularly those aligned with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, have expressed frustration over a recent visit by Governor Adeleke to President Tinubu at his Lagos residence. Adeleke was accompanied by his billionaire brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, and his nephew, Afrobeat superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.
The visit, which took place on June 3, followed an earlier one on May 20, when Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after delivering a lecture at Osun State University in Osogbo, paid a courtesy call on Governor Adeleke at the Government House.
These visits sparked speculation about a possible defection by Adeleke to the APC—especially amid a wave of defections by PDP governors to the ruling party. The rumors intensified on social media, where both Adeleke’s supporters and APC loyalists traded opinions and interpretations of the meetings.
Some supporters of the governor, previously known for criticizing Tinubu and the APC, were quick to rationalize the visits as strategic moves, leading to more conjecture about Adeleke’s political future.
However, the reaction from Osun APC stalwarts was swift and scathing. Addressing a press conference, party leaders led by former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Timothy Owoeye, dismissed any possibility of Adeleke being welcomed into the APC. Owoeye insisted that the party's ticket was "not for sale" and accused the Adeleke family of seeking refuge in the APC out of fear of electoral defeat.
“If not for the fear of the unknown that is disturbing the Adeleke family and the PDP, they wouldn’t be showing the intention of coming to the APC,” he declared.
Backing this stance, Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, accused Adeleke of attempting to manipulate the party into rescuing his second-term ambition. He insisted that the political dynamics that gave Adeleke the upper hand in the 2022 election were no longer in place, and warned APC members not to be swayed by recent events.
“Adeleke told the world he had nothing to do with the APC. So why is he now meeting with President Tinubu and visiting APC leaders like Chief Bisi Akande?” Olabisi asked. “There’s no smoke without fire. He’s trying to join the APC, but it’s not going to be easy. We know what he’s up to.”
Meanwhile, the PDP in Osun State has dismissed the uproar within the APC as baseless. According to the party’s spokesperson, Oladele Bamiji, the APC’s reaction reveals both arrogance and political naivety.
He said the relationship between the President and a sitting governor should not cause panic, pointing out that both Tinubu and Adeleke are national figures who must, at times, cooperate for governance.
“For us in Osun PDP, I don’t see any big deal in the governor meeting the President. Why should it be controversial for a governor to visit the President, regardless of political affiliation?” Bamiji said. “It seems some APC members were banking on President Tinubu refusing to see Adeleke, and now that he has, their own prospects appear threatened.”
He accused the APC of lacking grassroots support and hoping to rely on federal power to reclaim the state in 2026.
“Maybe because they know that, under normal circumstances, they cannot win any election in Osun State in a free and fair contest. All they want is for the President to rig the election in their favour,” he added.
In Anambra State, similar dynamics are playing out. President Tinubu's recent visit to the state to commission projects alongside Governor Chukwuma Soludo has fueled speculation of a deepening political alliance between the two leaders. Soludo, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is widely believed to be positioning himself for a switch to the APC.
Not only did the governor warmly receive the President, he reportedly declared support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, further igniting talk that he may formally defect before the next election cycle.
The potential shift has unsettled the APC in Anambra, where internal factions have been jostling for control ahead of the state’s next governorship election.
With two opposition governors openly courting the President and hinting at realignment, the APC faces internal uncertainty over how to position itself going into the crucial Osun and Anambra elections.
As one senior APC member lamented, “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell who’s with us and who’s against us—especially when the President himself appears to be warming up to our rivals.”
The coming months will be critical in determining whether these alliances solidify into formal defections—or simply remain strategic political gestures. Either way, the balance of power in both Osun and Anambra is already being reshaped by the quiet, yet consequential, courtships underway.
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