Osun Election: APM, PDP Candidates Step Down, Endorse Adeleke

With just hours to Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, the governorship candidates of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have withdrawn from the race and endorsed incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The APM candidate, Adebayo Simon Adewale, announced his withdrawal at a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, urging his supporters and members of the party across the state to vote for Adeleke, who is contesting on the platform of the Accord Party.

Adewale said the decision followed “deep reflection and extensive consultation” with party leaders, supporters and other stakeholders.

He said the decision was not motivated by pressure or personal interest but by what he described as the need to place the interest of Osun State above personal ambition.

“Having carefully assessed the situation, I believe Governor Adeleke deserves another term to consolidate the progress his administration has recorded,” Adewale said.

He urged APM members, his supporters and residents of the state to support Adeleke, stressing that the decision was aimed at promoting peace, stability and development.

“This decision is about the future of Osun. Politics should always serve the people, and today I have chosen the path that I believe will best advance peace, stability, development and the collective interest of our state,” he said.

Similarly, the PDP governorship candidate, Adedamola Adebayo, popularly known as Fryo, announced his withdrawal from the contest and endorsed Adeleke.

Adebayo made the announcement during a press briefing in Osogbo, saying his decision followed consultations with stakeholders and an assessment of the political situation in the state.

He urged PDP members and supporters to support Adeleke’s bid for a second term.

“I encourage all PDP members, supporters and structure to share this position peacefully. Support the emergence of Ademola Adeleke as the governor till 2030,” he said.

The latest withdrawals come barely a day before the Osun governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Adeleke, who left the PDP, is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party. His major challengers include Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The APGA governorship candidate, Adesina Adeyemi-Doro, had earlier withdrawn from the race and endorsed Oyebamiji.

The latest developments have further intensified the last-minute political realignments ahead of the election, with candidates and political groups shifting alliances in favour of competing contenders.

Adewale’s withdrawal is particularly notable given that former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola had previously announced his support for the APM candidate.

Oyinlola had dismissed claims of a PDP-Accord arrangement in the state and said the political structure he was working with had aligned with the APM.

“This is a movement that combines APM and PDP. We form an alliance to present a formidable force for the forthcoming elections,” Oyinlola had said.

However, the political realignment has also affected the Accord Party. A faction led by Christopher Imumolen, who describes himself as the party’s factional national chairman, has withdrawn its support for Adeleke and endorsed the APC candidate, Oyebamiji.

The conflicting endorsements underscore the fluidity of political alliances and internal divisions among the parties ahead of the poll.

Despite the withdrawals, the changes are not expected to alter the candidates already printed on the ballot papers prepared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

As voters head to the polls on Saturday, the last-minute defections and endorsements have added another layer of uncertainty to an already closely watched governorship contest.