2026 Osun Guber: Governor Adeleke Mulls Defection As PDP Leadership Crisis Threatens Candidature

Following the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the centre, the leadership of the party in Osun State has said that Governor Ademola Adeleke may no longer be interested in seeking the nomination of the party for the 2026 gubernatorial election in the State.

The chairman of the party, Hon. Sunday Bisi, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Osogbo on Monday, said although Governor Adeleke had fully complied with all requirements set out in the PDP’s timetable for nomination and remained its sole candidate, except a resolution recognised by INEC was reached within the INEC timeline his candidacy may be jeopardised.

Bisi noted that as a responsible managers of the mandate freely given to the PDP by the people of Osun State, it was important that they keep their members and the general public properly informed on the situation on ground.

Backing up the earlier resolve of Adeleke to contest on the platform of PDP, he disclosed that the governor purchased and submitted the expression of interest and nomination forms within the stipulated window of October 13 to 25, 2025, being the deadline for submission.

According to the party chairman, he thereafter appeared before the duly constituted Screening Committee of the party on Thursday, October 30, 2025, screened, cleared and issued a Certificate of Clearance in accordance with party procedures.

“Soon after these pre-primary processes were concluded, the internal imbroglio rocking the national leadership of our party escalated. The suspension and counter-suspension of key national officers, officers who are statutorily central to the conduct of congresses, primaries, and the transmission of our candidate’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), created a level of uncertainty that directly impacted the planned schedule.

“This crisis reached a point where the statutory ad-hoc ward and local government congresses, scheduled for November 24th and 29th respectively, could not hold. These are the very congresses where delegates to the primaries are elected. As you are all aware, the issues leading to these disruptions are presently before various courts across the country.

“In the light of the foregoing, it has become inevitable, indeed unavoidable, that the PDP governorship primaries earlier slated for Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025, can no longer hold as scheduled. It is equally important to restate, for the record, that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains the sole aspirant who purchased, submitted, and was duly screened in line with the party’s official timetable.

“However, because of the internal crisis rocking the national leadership of our party, the information at my disposal is that Governor Ademola Adeleke may not, any longer be interested in seeking the nomination of the PDP for the 2026 Osun Gubernatorial Election, except a resolution recognized by INEC is reached within the INEC timeline,” he stated.

The Osun State party chairman contended that the conduct of primary election rests exclusively with the National Secretariat of the PDP, adding that the leaderships of the party, both at the state and national levels, were working round the clock to ensure a lawful, workable, and timely resolution to the challenges at hand in the party.