The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, on Sunday visited Governor Ademola Adeleke to congratulate him on his re-election for a second term in office.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting at the Government House, Osogbo, Mr Basiru said he visited Mr Adeleke to congratulate him and thank him for his support during his late mother’s burial.

He said the visit was also aimed at exploring ways the APC and Accord Party could work together in Osun State to secure the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Mr Basiru said the APC and Accord Party structures in the state would collaborate to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.

He stated, “My visit here is for three reasons: to thank him for attending my mother’s burial, to congratulate him and also to thank him for supporting and endorsing President Tinubu’s re-election.

“The governor had said before the election that he was going to work for the President, and today, he reassured me that he would be on the field to campaign vigorously for the President.

“Of course, we are working together to fuse the Accord Party structure to become part of the President Tinubu campaign.

“You can see that in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), for instance, in Anambra State, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, is working seriously for our success, and also in some other states.

“You also see people across the length and breadth of the country working for President Bola Tinubu.

“In Rivers State, for instance, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, even though he is in the people’s Democratic Party (PDP), is also working to support the President.

“In Ekiti, you also see Oluyide, the candidate of the PDP, already forming a coalition to work with us. So, what we are doing is to ensure that we have widespread support for President Bola Tinubu across our party and our allies.”

Mr Basiru said the APC and Mr Adeleke would work together to deliver 1.5 million votes for Tinubu in Osun State in the 2027 presidential election.

He said though it was painful that the APC and its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, lost the August 15 governorship election, the party performed creditably well.

“Yes, it is very painful for some of us that the governor defeated our party in the election,” he said.

Mr Basiru, however, urged APC members in the state to close ranks and work together to secure victory for Mr Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“My message to my people in the APC is that we must close ranks and work together to ensure victory for President Bola Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election,” he said.

He also urged residents of the state to shun violence, stressing that “the state belongs to all.”

Mr Basiru said post-election tensions in the state were gradually subsiding and urged those with grievances, particularly members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), to resolve their differences peacefully.

(NAN)