Defection: Osun APC, PDP trade words over Adeleke, Tinubu’s meeting
…Adeleke not defecting to any party, he remains in PDP – Spokesperson
By Jeleel Olawale
The political temperature in Osun State rose on Wednesday following a meeting between Governor Ademola Adeleke, his nephew and popular Afrobeat star David Adeleke (Davido), billionaire businessman Dr. Deji Adeleke, and President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
The encounter brewed widespread speculation about a possible defection by Governor Adeleke from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the Osun APC quickly dismissed such rumours.
Former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, told journalists, “I am saying this categorically that APC ticket is not for sale. As a matter of fact, as of today, we don’t see Adeleke as a member or part of APC as a party. Let me be sincere with you, the APC in Osun is the party to beat.”
Owoeye further claimed that the supposed defection was driven by fear within the Adeleke family and the PDP, saying, “I want to tell you that if not because of the fear of the unknown that is disturbing the Adeleke family and the PDP, they wouldn’t have been showing the intention of coming to the APC.”
He also took a swipe at the PDP’s hold on Osun State, stating, “We have been saying this times without number that APC in Osun, if not because of the brigandage that followed the 2022 election and that of 2023, we shouldn’t have had PDP as elected officials across the state.
"Now that the Adeleke family has seen that their tenure is already terminated, come August 08, 2026, we are driving away the PDP from the Osun government, and we want to appeal to our people to remain calm. There is no space for PDP or Adeleke in the APC.”
In response, the PDP’s Osun State spokesperson, Oladele Bamiji, dismissed the APC’s claims as “naive and arrogant by claiming sole ownership of the President.”
Bamiji argued that the meeting between Tinubu and Adeleke was a normal engagement among leaders, saying, “Maybe because they feel that the definition of their own federal might is to use the opportunity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu being the leader of the nation to financially strangulate the wheel of progress in Osun State.”
He added, “Maybe they forgot that, in a federal system of government, if there is a failure in Osun State, under normal circumstances, the ultimate effect of it should go to the President. Osun APC members are naive.”
Further clarifying Governor Adeleke’s position, his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed stated, “He remains a bonafide member and leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state.
"The media speculation about likely or imminent defection is fake news. Governor Adeleke remains a member and leader of the PDP in Osun state.
"The visit by the Adeleke dynasty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a routine courtesy visit. Any reading of defection agenda into the visit is mere fake news."