On Sunday in Osogbo, former Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola stood before party members and declared support for Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress candidate in the August 15 election. Beside him were former Secretary to the State Government Fatai Akinbade and other PDP figures.

They insisted they had not left the Peoples Democratic Party. Yet they openly rejected the re-election bid of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is running on the Accord Party platform after defecting from the PDP.

The question is why.

Oyinlola’s explanation was carefully worded. He spoke of “inclusive leadership” and said the interest of Osun must come before party loyalty. Behind that language is a more practical complaint: many old PDP stakeholders feel shut out of the current government.

Since Adeleke took office in 2022, power has concentrated around a smaller circle. Several former office holders who expected influence under a PDP-leaning administration say they were sidelined. Appointments, contracts, and access, according to multiple sources within the party, became restricted. For politicians who built their careers on patronage and relevance, exclusion is often more dangerous than opposition.

The timing of the endorsement is also telling. With only days left to the election, the move is designed to weaken Adeleke’s claim to the old PDP structure in Osun. Adeleke left the PDP to run under Accord. Now parts of the party he left are publicly working against him. That creates both a symbolic and organisational problem.

Oyebamiji gains more than votes from this endorsement. He gains legitimacy among politicians who still command local networks across the 30 local government areas. In a state where personal loyalty and community influence still shape elections, such backing matters.

This is not the first sign of strain. The absence of the mainline PDP from the ballot, Adeleke’s defection, and the quiet realignments among former allies all point to a fragmented opposition space. The race has effectively become a three-way contest between Adeleke (Accord), Oyebamiji (APC), and Najeem Salam (ADC). Every major defection or endorsement shifts the balance.

Oyinlola’s camp has framed its decision as principle. Critics will call it opportunism. Both can be true at the same time. In Osun politics, principle and calculation often travel together.

What is clear is that Governor Adeleke now faces not only the APC machinery but also the open rejection of a significant section of the political class that once operated under the PDP umbrella. Six days to the election, that rejection has been made public.

The real test will be whether this endorsement translates into votes on 15 August, or remains a high-level political statement.