Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke
- knocks state PDP over ‘desperate’ claims
By John Dike, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has declared that it turned down Governor Ademola Adeleke’s planned defection because he is a political liability.
Also, it dismissed claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the governor’s planned defection was unfairly resisted
It described Adeleke’s botched defection move as a self-serving attempt to escape looming defeat in the 2026 governorship election.
The party, in a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday by its state chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, said,
“Governor Adeleke was promptly identified as a Trojan horse — an unstable baggage whose entry into the APC would have dented the party’s integrity”.
A communique issued by the Osun PDP Leadership Caucus on Tuesday, signed by the governor Adeleke and 27 other chieftains, had lamented alleged resistance to the governor’s move to join the APC.
But reacting, Lawal accused the governor of seeking refuge in the APC only after sensing widespread dissatisfaction with his administration.
He described the PDP under Adeleke as a collapsing structure, “deserted by decent politicians” and dominated by loyalists more interested in personal gain than public service.
He said, “Since 2023, the PDP has lost its moral compass, turning into a fiefdom of the Adeleke dynasty. People with integrity have continued to abandon the party, leaving behind political dregs”.
Lawal cited alleged rising discontent among citizens, including parents and students at the University of Ilesa, where tuition allegedly soared to N1.5 million per session.
Also, he criticised the governor’s alleged N13 billion expenditure on luxury vehicles for aides, while allegedly neglecting critical public needs like transportation and job creation.
He also alleged that over 32,000 job applicants were “duped” under a failed recruitment scheme, while accusing the Adeleke administration of squandering close to N1 trillion in 30 months with little to show for it.
“Osun citizens know Adeleke is not trying to serve; he’s trying to save himself. His defection bid was nothing more than a deceitful attempt to avoid electoral backlash in 2026,” he said.
Also, he accused the PDP of hypocrisy, stating that the same party allegedly targeting President Bola Tinubu in the media now seeks to align with the APC through backdoor overtures.
His words, “A party cannot insult our national leader in Osun and then send emissaries to Abuja pretending to be allies of the President. Osun people are not fools”.
He pointed to unresolved issues including the alleged murder of APC supporters, corruption allegations under EFCC and ICPC investigations, and perceived disregard for court judgments as further reasons the party rejected Adeleke’s overtures.
Lawal claimed that thousands of Osun residents took to the streets in Osogbo and other towns to celebrate the news of Adeleke’s failed defection attempt.
He said, “This is payback time. The people of Osun have suffered enough under this administration. Let Adeleke stop whining and prepare for the people’s verdict in August 2026”.
