Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Dumps PDP Few Hours To Governorship Primary Election

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke yesterday resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

He resigned barely 12 hours after the state chairman, Sunday Bisi, said the governor may not seek re-election on the platform of the party.

Adeleke said he left the party because of the unresolved protracted leadership crisis that had polarized the party into two factions.

The governor, who forwarded his letter of resignation to the chairman of the party in Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, Ede, Osun State, thanked PDP for the opportunity given to him to serve the state on the platform.

The letter titled: “Resignation of my membership of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP)’ reads: “Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the People’s Democratic Party with immediate effect.

“I thank the People’s Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the People’s Democratic Party.”

Bis had told reporters in Osogbo, the state capital, that the governor, who had been adopted as the candidate, would not make use of the platform unless the protracted leadership crisis is resolved.

Bisi also said Adeleke would only agree to seek re-election as PDP candidate if the resolution of the crisis is accepted and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The PDP has been grappling with internal disputes nationally since its loss in the 2023 presidential election, with several state chapters facing factional battles over control of party structures.

In September, the party’s National Working Committee was forced to intervene in parallel congresses in Rivers, Edo, and Lagos, pledging reforms to stabilise internal administration — efforts that appear to have fallen short in Osun.

Adeleke’s departure adds to a growing list of high-profile defections from the PDP in the South-West.

In 2024, former Ekiti governorship aspirant Segun Oni left the party, citing similar grievances, while analysts noted deepening divisions between long-standing PDP blocs and newer factions aligned with state governors.

The immediate implications for Tuesday’s primary remain unclear, as the national secretariat has not formally acknowledged the governor’s resignation or announced any changes to the schedule.

Party officials at the state level insist the primary cannot hold under what they described as untenable conditions.

Noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is coming less than 24 hours before the party’s governorship primary.