Oyinlola withdraws Tinubu 2027 endorsement, says it has expired
- Former Osun governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola says his 2025 endorsement of President Tinubu for 2027 has expired.
- He told Channels Television the endorsement was a tactic to get federal help with Osun's local government crisis.
- Oyinlola now backs Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde for the presidency and wants Tinubu and Atiku to retire.
Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has withdrawn his support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027, saying the endorsement he gave last year has run its course.
Asked on Channels Television's Politics Today whether he still stood by the endorsement, Oyinlola replied: "It has expired."
He was among Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Osun State who endorsed Tinubu for a second term on July 20, 2025.
Why he endorsed Tinubu in the first place
Oyinlola said the endorsement was a political move, not unconditional support. He said it was aimed at getting federal help to resolve the local government crisis in Osun State.
He listed the problems: local government funds are missing, and it is still unsettled who the rightful occupants of the council offices are. He said he believed the President could resolve the matter, but that help did not come.
"We did not achieve anything, and I exited it almost immediately," he said. He described the decision as a way of finding a route out of the state's problems, noting that local government is the closest arm of government to the people.
Oyinlola, a PDP member, has now declared support for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who is reportedly seeking the presidency in 2027 on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Calls for Tinubu and Atiku to step aside
Oyinlola also urged Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to leave active politics, arguing that both are too old to seek the presidency again.
He said age should count when judging candidates for public office, and recalled that he had previously pushed for an age limit for governorship aspirants.
His latest position is a public reversal of the endorsement he joined other Osun PDP stakeholders in giving the President last year.
What happens next
Oyinlola's switch does not change any party's ticket on its own, but it adds to the debate over age and alliances ahead of the 2027 elections. Makinde has not been confirmed as an APM presidential candidate, and the sources did not say when that would be settled.
