By Okoi Obono-Obla
A total of 511,067 votes were cast for Senator Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke in the gubernatorial election held in Osun State on 15th August, 2026. Senator Adeleke contested on the platform of the Accord Party, a party that is not fielding a presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
In a dramatic display true to his artistic character and love for music and dance, Senator Adeleke, in his acceptance speech shortly after INEC declared him winner of the election, endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is running for a second term on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC. In a rare show of equanimity, love and solidarity, Senator Adeleke described President Tinubu as a worthy son of Osun State whom it was only natural to support.
Such a rare spirit of generosity and gratitude deserves commendation.
The political implication of this endorsement will likely reverberate in January 2027 when Nigerians will go to the polls for the presidential election. The 511,067 votes secured by Senator Adeleke could potentially accrue to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC.
This is a major uppercut to the fractious opposition, which had been jubilating prematurely over Adeleke’s victory, hoping to cash in on it opportunistically and gain political mileage ahead of January 2027. That hope is now dashed.
The APC scored 444,815 votes in the same governorship election. Therefore, all things being equal, one can reasonably conclude that the APC stands to harvest both the 511,067 votes scored by Senator Adeleke of the Accord Party and its own 444,815 votes, bringing its potential haul from Osun to over 955,000 votes. The ADC candidate scored a miserable 17,180 votes, and it is likely that even those votes will swing towards President Tinubu.
The poor showing of opposition parties such as the ADC is worrisome and portends a possible disastrous outing for them in the general election. So far, the opposition has not performed well in all the off-season elections conducted since 2025, giving no indication that it will fare better in the 2027 general elections.
In conclusion, Senator Adeleke’s magnanimous endorsement has turned what the opposition celebrated as its own gain into a strategic advantage for President Tinubu and the APC. With Accord having no presidential candidate, Osun’s massive bloc vote appears firmly aligned behind the President, leaving the opposition more divided and disoriented than ever ahead of 2027.
