The political atmosphere in Osun State has become increasingly charged following a controversial claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a failed attempt to defect to their party. The accusation, which has sparked a war of words between the two dominant political camps in the state, was strongly denied by the governor’s team, who labeled the claim as false, misleading, and a desperate distraction.
The Osun State chapter of the APC alleged that Governor Adeleke reached out to the party’s national leadership with the intention of defecting from the PDP. According to the APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, Adeleke’s move was thwarted after he was told he must go through the normal nomination process, without any guarantee of an automatic ticket for the 2026 governorship election. The APC claimed that the governor had secretly lobbied through prominent political and business figures and even made a quiet visit to the residence of APC elder statesman, Chief Bisi Akande, in Ibadan.
Olabisi described Adeleke’s denial of the defection rumors as deceptive, comparing the situation to that of a “promiscuous housewife” trying to hide her indiscretions. He insisted that the governor’s covert overtures to the APC were widely known among political insiders and expressed astonishment that Adeleke would stand before prominent PDP stakeholders—such as former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr. Olu Alabi, and Rt. Hon. Lasun Yusuf—to assert that he had never contemplated leaving the party.
In response, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, issued a firm rebuttal, describing the APC’s statement as a “hallucination” and “diversionary tactic” designed to obscure the party’s internal crises. Rasheed maintained that at no point—past or present—had Governor Adeleke negotiated or considered defection from the PDP. He emphasized that Adeleke, who unseated an incumbent in 2022, has consistently delivered on his electoral promises and has no reason to abandon the party under which he has achieved notable success.
According to Rasheed, Adeleke’s administration has recorded significant accomplishments in less than three years, surpassing what the APC failed to deliver in twelve. The governor’s popularity, he said, was recently reaffirmed when Osun workers endorsed him for a second term during the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration, citing his “people-centered leadership” and “visible development across all sectors.”
The statement added that Adeleke enjoys an over 80 percent job approval rating and has garnered recognition from local, national, and international bodies for his performance. Given these achievements, the governor, Rasheed argued, has no incentive to join a party “widely criticized and rejected in Osun State due to its past failures and current disarray.”
Further rejecting the APC’s narrative, the governor’s camp insisted that the opposition is “rattled” by Adeleke’s growing popularity and is attempting to sow doubt and confusion through false claims. Rasheed stated that Adeleke remains focused on maintaining peace, deepening democratic values, and advancing Osun’s development, rather than engaging in political distractions.
“The Osun APC should focus on its internal implosion and face its reality,” Rasheed concluded. “Governor Adeleke remains loyal to the PDP and committed to delivering good governance to the people of Osun State.”
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