Former presidential political adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has dismissed claims that the All Progressives Congress lost the Osun governorship election in exchange for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s support for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Adeleke secured re-election on the Accord platform after polling 511,067 votes in Saturday’s governorship election.
APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji finished second with 444,815 votes, while Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress came third with 17,180 votes.
Ahead of the election, Adeleke and the Accord Party endorsed Tinubu for a second presidential term in 2027, prompting speculation about a possible political arrangement.
Reacting in a post on X, Baba-Ahmed rejected the speculation, saying he believed Accord won the election fairly.
He maintained that the APC could be defeated in a credible election and predicted that Osun voters would reject the ruling party again during the 2027 general election.
He wrote, “I am not one of those supporting the conspiracy theory that the APC’s defeat in the Osun governorship election is a trade-off for the governor’s support for Tinubu in 2027.
“I prefer to believe Accord Party won fairly. I believe the APC can be defeated in fair elections. Osun State will reject it in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised Tinubu’s intervention in the freezing of Osun State Government accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He described the intervention as clumsy, arguing that the President lacked the authority to halt the operations of the anti-graft agency.
According to him, the controversy had damaged the EFCC’s credibility and could create the impression that the commission and the Presidency employed a “good cop-bad cop” strategy.
