The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has said the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, attempted to defect to its fold but failed due to the condition he was given by the APC national leadership.
The party subsequently demanded a retraction of the claim by the governor at a meeting where he told some of the stakeholders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Osogbo, Osun State, that he was not contemplating leaving the party.
But APC’s claim was dismissed by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, saying there was never a time, past or present, when Adeleke negotiated or considered defection from the PDP.
Earlier, the APC, in a statement signed by its Director of Media, Mr. Kola Olabisi, obtained in Osogbo on Saturday, recalled that Adeleke told an assembly of some of the stakeholders of the PDP at the Governor’s Office last Thursday that he was not planning to leave his current party either now or in the near future.
He tagged the rumour about his imminent defection into the APC as “fake news emanating from those intimidated by extraordinary performance in state leadership.”
Reacting, Osun APC said, “We wonder why Governor Adeleke could not be truthful for once by confessing to the state PDP stakeholders comprising former state Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr Olu Alabi, Professor Wale Oladipo, Hon Akanni Olohunwa, Mr Sunday Bisi, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, Rt. Hon Lasun Yusuf among others that his desperate attempts to defect into the potent opposition APC were unsuccessful.
“The plight of Governor Adeleke with reference to his bungled attempts to defect into the APC could be likened to a promiscuous housewife who thinks that her illicit act being perpetrated in secrecy is not known to her neighbours.
“If not so many people were not privy to how some governors in the Southwest geo-political zone and some notable millionaire industrialists were using the dead of the night to package Governor Adeleke for the failed defection exercise, his begging visit to Chief Bisi Akande in his Ibadan, Oyo State residence, is still fresh in the memory of the right-thinking members of the society.
“We wonder why Governor Adeleke failed to reveal to the PDP stakeholders that the condition given to him by the leadership of the ruling party at the national level was that he would have to queue up and that he could not be given an automatic ticket for the governorship election under the APC.”
Insisting Adeleke never planned defection out of PDP, Olawale, in a statement, said after defeating an incumbent in 2022, the governor has continued to deliver the dividends of democracy, earning recognition from local, national, and international organisations, including federal agencies.
He said, “With such a record, he has no need to defect to secure victory in 2026. The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) must be hallucinating with its claim of a failed defection bid. At no time, past or present, has Governor Ademola Adeleke negotiated or considered defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“In over two years of governance, the Governor has not attended any meeting where defection was discussed or considered. Such an idea has never been and will never be on the table. A performing Governor who has achieved in under three years what the APC could not deliver in twelve, and who enjoys overwhelming support from the people, has no need for a party widely criticized and rejected in Osun due to its past failures and current disarray.
“With over 80 per cent job approval, and with visible impact across all sectors and regions of the state, Governor Adeleke was recently endorsed for a second term by Osun workers on Workers’ Day. He has no reason to join a party plagued by internal strife and leadership crises.
“We view the APC’s recent claim as a diversionary tactic aimed at masking its internal troubles. The party is reeling from self-inflicted damage, with its own members now exposing internal secrets that reflect a legacy of poor governance, divisive politics, and anti-people policies.”
He added that APC was deeply rattled by the support Adeleke has received from workers and citizens across the state.
“Let it be put on record: Governor Adeleke’s focus remains on protecting Osun State from desperate politicians determined to destabilise the state in their bid for power. Governor Adeleke has no regrets in defeating those bent on creating anarchy. His administration will continue to prioritise stability, development, and good governance.
“We urge the Osun APC to focus on its internal implosion and face its reality. Governor Adeleke remains committed to the PDP, the platform that is lifting Osun to new heights of progress,” the statement added.
