Interim National Secretary of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, made an unannounced visit to former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Sunday in an effort to persuade him to join the party. The meeting took place at Oyinlola’s country home in Okuku, Osun State.
Aregbesola, who took over from Oyinlola as governor in 2010 following a protracted legal challenge to the 2007 election, has been actively engaging political figures across the South-West since his appointment as ADC Secretary on July 2, 2025.
Alongside interim National Chairman Senator David Mark, he is working to expand the party’s reach ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The ADC has positioned itself as a broad coalition of political heavyweights including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Babachir Lawal with the stated goal of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Photos of the Aregbesola-Oyinlola meeting circulated widely on social media Monday, sparking speculation about a possible shift in political alliances at both state and national levels.
A source present at the meeting, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Aregbesola visited to personally appeal to Oyinlola to come on board. Oyinlola received him warmly but didn’t make any firm commitments.”
Charles Omidiji, Osun State ADC Chairman, confirmed the visit. “I wasn’t there myself I’m currently in Abuja but I’m aware of the meeting. This is politics. Everyone is working the numbers, and more big names from both the PDP and APC could still cross over,” he said.
Oyinlola, meanwhile, recently appeared on Arise TV, where he accused the APC of pressuring Governor Ademola Adeleke to defect from the PDP.
“There’s always pressure from the ruling party on elected officials,” he said. “But in Osun, that would be political suicide. The people don’t support APC, and Adeleke knows this.”
Despite rumors about his own political future, Oyinlola rejected the idea of defecting. “I’m a battle-tested general. I’ve served as a military administrator, governor, and PDP national secretary. I’m not going anywhere,” he stated.
The development comes just days after the Osun PDP issued a communiqué backing Governor Adeleke for a second term in 2026 and surprisingly endorsing President Tinubu for 2027 a move that has stirred controversy within opposition ranks.
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