Osogbo did not merely welcome Governor Ademola Adeleke, it erupted for him. From the stadium to Okefia, from Olaiya to Alekuwodo, through the winding roads of Ede and into the heartbeat of small towns and villages, Osun witnessed something that looked less like a political outing and more like a public uprising wrapped in yellow flags. When Adeleke freshly adorned in Accord Party colours stepped into the streets, the streets responded.

“Accord! Ìbọ! Imólè!”It wasn’t a chant
It was a verdict, proclamation and warning shot. People didn’t wave from balconies; they poured onto the roads, pressed forward, sang, danced, and in some places, lifted the governor as though he were not a politician but a symbol. Campaign seasons in Osun have always carried a measure of theatre, but what unfolded this week felt different raw, unfiltered, intentional. As one elderly woman near Olaiya whispered, “Igboro ti soro” the street has spoken.

But as every seasoned political observer knows: streets speak loudly; ballots speak finally.

So the suspense begins: Will this street thunder be strong enough to return Adeleke to Abere in 2026?

News of Adeleke’s exit from the PDP hit like a tremor, but insiders knew the earth had been shaking long before the crack appeared. For months, he had reportedly lamented “structural paralysis” at the national level — factional wars, shifting loyalties, and a suspended primary process that left more questions than answers. His departure was not the anger of a moment; it was the exhaustion of a year. By November 6, his signature was already drying on Accord Party forms.

Days later, he told supporters that the move followed “weeks of consultations” and a conviction that Accord’s social-welfare ideology aligned more closely with his governance model.

Political theorist Hannah Arendt once wrote: “Power arises where people gather and act together.”

On Wednesday, that quote became a prophecy in Osogbo. Delegates from all 30 local governments ratified Adeleke as Accord’s gubernatorial flagbearer – 145 out of 150 votes — a coronation witnessed by INEC officials and welcomed by the Accord’s national leadership. Adeleke’s new political identity was not just announced; it was enthroned. And with that, the 2026 game did not begin — it exploded.

While Accord celebrated, the APC remained alert. Seven governorship aspirants, after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Villa, stepped aside for Bola Oyebamiji – the one referred to as ‘The chosen One’. One notable absentee: Senator Iyiola Omisore, who dismissed his disqualification as a “joke” and refused to attend the Abuja gathering.

Is his boycott a crack? A threat? Or the opening move in another political chess game? As always in Osun, time will judge.

Still, the APC’s consolidation is not trivial. With Tinubu’s political machinery behind Oyebamiji, the party enters the ring with structure, resources, and a unified message. As Niccolò Machiavelli warned: “He who controls the structure controls the outcome — unless the people revolt.”

So the question sharpens like a blade: Can Adeleke’s street power withstand APC’s power structure?

Osun is a land where incumbents are humbled, favourites fall, and political logic frequently collapses at the polls. Former Governor Gboyega Oyetola learned this bitterly in 2022, a defeat still spoken of in hushed, stunned tones across the state. Osun voters do not merely cast ballots; they defend them with a stubbornness that borders on ritual.

Adeleke has switched platforms but has he strengthened or weakened his base?

The APC has found unity but can unity outperform Adeleke’s grassroots romance? Does the love of the street translate into the love of the ballot? Or will Osun — that unpredictable theatre — write another impossible script?

As Chinua Achebe once said:
“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” Adeleke is now trying to write his story. The APC is preparing its own pen. The streets are sharpening theirs. Who will write the final chapter?

The Road to August 8, 2026:

Make no mistake: 2026 is no longer an election. It is a political duel — grassroots vigour versus federal armour; emotion versus structure; street revolution versus party machinery.

Frantz Fanon once observed:
“When the people begin to move, even the mountains tremble.”

Osun has begun to move. Whether the mountains will tremble or stand firm that is the suspense hanging over the state. One truth remains undeniable:
The people of Osun, ever watchful and ever unpredictable, will decide which flag flies above Abere.

And until that judgment day arrives, the political air in Osun will remain electric, crackling with intrigue, ambition, and the roar of a street that believes it has already spoken.

– Debo Omilani, journalist, communication expert, and proud Osun indigene, writes from Lagos State.