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Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola issued a public justification on Sunday for the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress‘s formal endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, describing the decision as grounded in concrete policy performance rather than political loyalty, as details emerged of a February 14 ceremony in Osogbo that simultaneously absorbed five federal lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party into the ruling party’s fold.
The endorsement motion was moved at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo by Osun APC Elders Caucus Chairman Engineer Sola Akinwumi and seconded by Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, before being adopted unanimously by party members through a voice vote. APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru presided over the proceedings, which drew party leaders, state officials, and thousands of supporters to the Osun State capital. The ceremony served a dual purpose: formalising the chapter’s backing of President Tinubu’s anticipated 2027 re-election bid and receiving the defecting lawmakers into the party with a public reception.
The five lawmakers who crossed from the PDP are Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District; Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, representing Osun Central Senatorial District; Honourable Wole Oke, representing Ijesa North Federal Constituency; Honourable Omirin Olusanya, also representing Ijesa North Federal Constituency; and Honourable Taofeek Ajilesoro, representing Ife Federal Constituency.
Their departure from the PDP carries particular significance given that several of them were credited with helping Governor Ademola Adeleke win the 2022 Osun governorship election against Oyetola himself. Their re-alignment with the APC is now being directed toward defeating Adeleke in the August 8, 2026 governorship contest.
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In his statement issued Sunday by Special Adviser Dr. Bolaji Akinola, Minister Oyetola framed the endorsement as a response to measurable governance outcomes. He cited foreign exchange stabilisation, a significant reduction in fuel importation linked to expanding local refining capacity, over $50 billion in new investment commitments as evidence of restored international confidence, the national minimum wage rising to ₦70,000, and access to higher education loans for more than 200,000 students as indicators of tangible progress. He said President Tinubu had taken “difficult but necessary decisions at the outset of his administration to rescue the nation’s economy from the brink of collapse,” and described continuity as essential for completing ongoing reforms.
“President Tinubu has demonstrated courage, capacity and commitment to reposition Nigeria. What he needs now is time to complete the good job he has started,” he said.
The minister also pointed to infrastructure spending across roads, rail, ports, and energy as foundations for job creation, and commended the administration’s social welfare approach, including student loan programmes and SME support, as evidence of a reform agenda that was compassionate as well as structural. On security, he said renewed inter-agency coordination had strengthened national stability. He made no reference to the ongoing security crises in the North-West and North-East, or to the state police debate that has occupied the National Assembly in recent weeks.
Osun APC gubernatorial candidate Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, speaking at the February 14 ceremony, described Tinubu’s economic measures as having helped state governments manage debt burdens and improve fiscal sustainability, and called for party unity ahead of what he characterised as a double electoral task.
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“The progressive family in Osun must stand as one. Leaders, youths, men and women — all working together to return our state to a path of growth, accountability and inclusive development,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors at the ceremony, Senator Fadahunsi pledged party loyalty and mobilisation for both the 2026 and 2027 contests. “We are proud to join the progressives. By August 8, 2026, we will work to ensure the election of Asiwaju Oyebamiji as governor, and in February 2027, the re-election of President Tinubu,” he said.
The Osun APC’s endorsement is the latest in a succession of chapter-level declarations backing a Tinubu second term that have emerged across multiple states in recent months, paralleling similar moves by the APC National Working Committee, National Executive Committee, and Governors’ Forum. President Tinubu has not formally declared his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election. No date for any such declaration has been communicated by the presidency or the APC.
