The political calm that followed Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the Osun governorship election has quickly given way to another round of controversy after activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore condemned the governor’s decision to support President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
Sowore, in a strongly worded post on his verified 𝕏 account on Sunday, questioned the political direction of Adeleke’s endorsement and argued that another Tinubu presidency would worsen Nigeria’s problems.
The AAC candidate described the President’s administration as a failure and accused Adeleke and the Tinubu political camps of placing personal and political interests above the wider concerns of Nigerians.
Adeleke publicly endorsed Tinubu shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared him winner of the keenly contested Osun election.
The governor, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, said Tinubu deserved support ahead of the 2027 presidential poll.
But Sowore has sharply rejected that position.
According to him, Adeleke’s endorsement amounts to supporting the continuation of what he described as a failed administration beyond 2027.
“Governor Adeleke has endorsed the failed Tinubu presidency to continue its mission of destroying Nigeria beyond 2027,” Sowore wrote.
The statement represents a direct challenge to Adeleke at a time when the governor’s relationship with the President has already become a subject of political discussion.
‘They are protecting their political fortunes’
Sowore went beyond criticising the endorsement itself, suggesting that the relationship between the Adeleke and Tinubu political camps is driven largely by mutual political interests.
He accused both families of protecting their influence and political fortunes while ordinary Nigerians bear the consequences of the country’s problems.
“At the end of the day, the Adelekes and the Tinubus are looking out for their own personal and political interests, watching each other’s backs, protecting their political fortunes, and safeguarding their loot,” he alleged.
The accusation adds a more personal dimension to the disagreement, turning what could have been a conventional political criticism into a broader attack on Nigeria’s political elite.
The AAC candidate also linked his criticism of Adeleke and Tinubu to the violence reported before and during the Osun governorship election.
Sowore claimed that nearly 50 people lost their lives in election-related violence, and questioned the political value of such deaths if politicians could ultimately unite after the contest.
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“I feel sorry for the nearly 50 people whose lives were wasted in election violence before and during the polls so that these corrupt political families could prove how much they love and protect one another,” he said.
His claim about the death toll has not been independently established in the material provided, but the broader issue of violence surrounding the election has remained a major concern among political observers.
Adeleke’s endorsement opens new political conversation
The controversy comes just days after Adeleke secured a second term in office following a fiercely contested election in Osun State.
His decision to back Tinubu has generated reactions across Nigeria, particularly because the governor defeated the candidate of Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) at the state level while simultaneously declaring support for the President at the national level.
Adeleke’s camp has maintained that there was no secret political agreement behind the endorsement, arguing that the governor’s support for Tinubu was based on his assessment of the President’s performance and economic reforms.
Sowore, however, sees the development very differently.
His intervention ensures that Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu is likely to remain part of the political conversation as Nigeria gradually moves towards the 2027 general election, with rival political camps already positioning themselves for what promises to be another fiercely contested presidential race.