Former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has withdrawn his earlier endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office, declaring that the political support he expressed in 2025 has expired.
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Oyinlola made the position known during an interview on Channels Television, where he was asked whether he still stood by the endorsement he gave Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“It has expired,” the former governor responded.
Oyinlola was among the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Osun State who endorsed Tinubu for re-election on July 20, 2025, despite belonging to the opposition party.
However, explaining the circumstances behind the decision, the former governor said the endorsement was a political strategy aimed at addressing some of the unresolved challenges confronting Osun State, particularly the controversy surrounding local government administration and the alleged withholding of council funds.
He maintained that the decision was influenced by the belief that the President could intervene in the crisis and help resolve the dispute over the rightful occupants of local government offices.
According to him, the endorsement was not necessarily an expression of permanent political allegiance but a calculated move to find a way out of the challenges facing the state.
“Reason being that if you need to catch a monkey, you have to behave like one. We have a problem in Osun State. The local government funds are missing. The issue of who the rightful occupants of the local government offices are is not settled, and we believe that it’s within the purview of Mr President to resolve that. But that is not coming,” Oyinlola said.
He further explained that local governments remained the closest level of government to the people, making the prolonged political and financial uncertainty surrounding the councils a major concern.
The former governor, however, admitted that the political arrangement failed to deliver the expected outcome, prompting him to withdraw his support shortly after the endorsement.
“We did not achieve anything, and I exited it almost immediately,” he added.
Oyinlola shifts political support to Makinde
The withdrawal of his endorsement comes as political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to take shape, with Oyinlola now expressing support for Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who is seeking the presidency on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Makinde recently unveiled his 2027 Reset Agenda manifesto in Abuja, promising reforms in the economy, education, security and Nigeria’s political system.
Oyinlola’s latest position signals a shift from the political arrangement that brought him and other Osun PDP stakeholders into the camp of Tinubu’s supporters in 2025.
The development also highlights the fluid nature of political alliances ahead of the 2027 election, as politicians reassess their positions and consider alternative platforms and candidates.
For Oyinlola, the earlier endorsement was a political calculation tied to Osun’s local government crisis, but with his declaration that it has expired, his support now appears to be moving in a different direction.