A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, OluwaFunmisho Babarinde, says the party’s greatest asset ahead of the 2026 governorship race remains “the people of Osun”—insisting it would be “unfair” to shepherd voters back to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after rejecting it at the polls.
Speaking on the programme Insightful Moment, Babarinde, who serves as the senior Special Assistant to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Renewable Energy, argued that recent defections to rival platforms “reflect loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, not genuine ideological shifts,” and predicted a post-2027 “big blow” for those leaving the PDP.
“The only real strength any party can claim in Osun is the people,”. They have tasted progress under Governor Adeleke, and they will not return to a party they feel no longer represents them, he stated.
Babarinde credited Adeleke’s two-year record with “pulling voters closer” to the PDP, citing improvements in road infrastructure, the health sector, prompt wage payments, and a phased clearance of outstanding salary arrears. He added that delays in recruiting teachers and health workers stem from an ongoing local-government restructuring dispute, not from lack of political will.
“Local government is the tier closest to ordinary citizens,” he noted. “Once that knot is untied, fresh recruitment will strengthen schools and hospitals across Osun.”
Reacting to former governor Rauf Aregbesola’s reported move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his appointment as the party’s national secretary, Babarinde described the switch as an attempt to prove he remains “a progenitor of progressive politics in Osun.”
“Let the ADC build its structure and test its acceptance in 2026,” he said, stressing that PDP under state chairman Sunday Bisi “won’t cede any ground” Babarinde stated.
He dismissed speculation that Governor Adeleke will abandon the PDP for the ADC or seek President Tinubu’s backing in 2027. The governor has not uttered a single word hinting at defection, He will seek re-election under the umbrella of PDP in 2026.
“Every small threat must be scrutinised” through rigorous SWOT analysis, Babatunde maintained that the PDP goes into the next election with a “formidable structure, a performing governor, and the loyalty of Osun’s voters” he stated .
Babarinde stated ”Party politics is like a barber’s chair,” it turns but the PDP has stayed seated since 1999, growing roots and bonds that won’t be severed easily.
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