The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised Governor Ademola Adeleke to begin preparing his handover note ahead of the 2026 governorship election, declaring that no political maneuver would save him from defeat at the polls.
The party gave the warning in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, on Thursday, following reports of Adeleke’s screening by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja.
According to the APC, photographs and videos showing the governor’s arrival at the PDP national secretariat and his completion of screening forms, assisted by the state Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Bunmi Jenyo signaled the start of his re-election campaign.
The party, however, described the screening as a “face saving move” following what it termed Adeleke’s failed attempt to defect to the APC. It alleged that the governor had made several overtures to join the opposition party but was rejected due to what it called his “unmarketable record” in office.
“He is an unmarketable governor who would court hatred and electoral misfortune for the APC on account of his government’s poor policy formulation and implementation, lack of transparency, endemic corruption, nepotism, and cronyism,” the statement read in part.
The Osun APC accused Adeleke’s administration of wasting over ₦60 billion on the Governor’s Office in less than three years without addressing key sectors such as education. The statement further claimed that over 32,000 job seekers were defrauded under the guise of a teacher recruitment exercise that never materialized.
“Adeleke has failed to fund education, leaving tertiary institutions to impose arbitrary fees to survive. His administration is shallow and self-serving,” the APC alleged.
The party also dismissed the PDP screening exercise as a “kangaroo arrangement,” claiming it was meant to mask the embarrassment Adeleke suffered after his alleged rejection by APC leaders.
“Information available to us confirms that he was still found last week loitering around Aso Villa, alongside his brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, seeking a soft landing to join the APC,” the statement added.
While acknowledging Adeleke’s clearance by his party, the APC insisted that the people of Osun State had already “screened him out” through public opinion, citing what it described as “three years of misgovernance, vengeance, and wastage of resources.”
The statement further claimed that Adeleke’s fear stemmed from the calibre of aspirants within the APC, whom it said were “individually capable of defeating him at the polls.”
“The 2026 governorship election is for Adeleke and his rudderless party to lose, considering the poor and unfriendly public perception of their government,” the statement concluded.
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