- Adeleke reaffirmed his Tinubu 2027 endorsement right after winning re-election.
- Keyamo immediately praised him, but Adeleke’s camp denied any “agreement.”
- The endorsement clashes with the governor’s nephew Davido’s outspoken anti-APC campaign remarks.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has reaffirmed his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027, drawing praise from the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, just hours after Adeleke secured re-election.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that, speaking at a press conference on Sunday, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the August 15 governorship election, Adeleke said: “At this point, I must deeply appreciate Mr President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election. Mr President is a son of Osun State, and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.”
EDITOR’S PICKS
Adeleke defeated the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji 511,067 votes to 444,815, winning 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas. He also thanked Tinubu for personally calling to congratulate him, describing the contest as “no victor, no vanquished.”
Thank you, Governor Ademola Adeleke, for the public and unequivocal endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT for the 2027 Presidential Election. You are a man of integrity and honour. ‘Agreement is agreement.’ https://t.co/AaUMetf51O
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) August 16, 2026
Keyamo welcomed the renewed endorsement in a post on X, calling Adeleke a “man of integrity and honour” and adding: “Agreement is agreement.”
The remark, alongside his congratulations on Adeleke’s “historic victory,” was widely read as confirmation of a political understanding between the governor and the president.
But the governor’s spokesperson, Olajengbesi, pushed back publicly, insisting there was no deal behind the endorsement.
“Do not undermine the resilience of Osun people. There is no agreement,” he said, adding that the governor’s backing of Tinubu was “based on his performance and reforms that have strengthened states economically.”
Do not undermine the resilience of Osun people. There is no agreement.
Our support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, @officialABAT, is based on his performance and reforms that have strengthened states economically.
Osun people voted @AAdeleke_01. President Tinubu simply ensured… https://t.co/9s4uSGcErv
— Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq., (@PelumiEsq_) August 16, 2026
Background
Adeleke’s support for Tinubu predates the governorship race.
Despite being a PDP member at the time, he had already endorsed Tinubu’s 2027 bid before defecting to the Accord Party ahead of the August 15 poll. Sunday’s statement was a restatement, not a new position but coming immediately after a bruising campaign against the APC, it carried fresh weight.
The endorsement sits against the backdrop of the very public opposition of Adeleke’s nephew, Afrobeats star Davido, who campaigned aggressively for his uncle while attacking the APC throughout the race.
Days before the election, Davido posted: “Anybody supporting APC in Osun state is an enemy of progress! Lessons will be learnt this weekend.”
On election day, he baselessly accused Tinubu of trying to withdraw security personnel to suppress turnout, and separately declared, “I can never support APC in my life!!”
Because we are winning. They want to withdraw the police and military! MR PRESIDENT TINUBU ! UR KILLING DEMOCRACY
— Davido (@davido) August 15, 2026
I CAN NEVER SUPPORT APC IN MY LIFE !!!
— Davido (@davido) August 15, 2026
After the results were announced, Davido clashed publicly with activist and AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who accused the Adeleke family of treating “the Osun State treasury like a family jackpot” while maintaining ties to Tinubu.
Ur a useless man https://t.co/DamIIL9cNb
— Davido (@davido) August 15, 2026
FURTHER READING
Davido has previously visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa and accompanied his uncle to a meeting with the president in Lagos.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
