The Peoples Democratic Party has said Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, did not leave the party out of personal ambition but became “a victim of circumstance” created by long-standing, unresolved internal disputes.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, admitted that the party failed to act decisively at critical moments, allowing internal problems to grow until they pushed the governor to defect.
According to him, Adeleke’s exit was avoidable.
“Every problem is human-created, and therefore can be solved by humans. If the leadership had acted decisively, things might not have reached this point,” he said.
Ememobong described the PDP’s internal troubles as “self-inflicted,” warning that conflicts left to fester eventually consume everyone involved.
He stressed that the party noticed early signs of division as far back as 2023, but instead of taking firm action, the leadership relied on negotiations hoping tensions would cool on their own.
“Sometimes leaders believe that when passions calm, people will reconsider their positions. Unfortunately, in this case, that didn’t happen,” he added.
Ememobong linked the deepening cracks in the party to the contentious PDP convention in Ibadan, which led to the expulsion of some members and the emergence of new national officers. This, he said, further escalated hostilities and left Adeleke entangled in “circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities” beyond his control.
Insightlinks recalled that Governor Adeleke formally resigned from the PDP on December 2 via a letter dated November 4, citing the leadership crisis as his reason for leaving.
Shortly after, his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed that the governor had joined the Accord Party, revealing he registered with the party on November 6, weeks before even announcing his departure.
Adeleke said he chose the Accord Party after wide consultations and because its welfarist philosophy aligns with his focus on workers’ and citizens’ wellbeing.
On Wednesday, the governor secured the Accord Party’s ticket for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election.
He was the sole aspirant and scored 145 out of 150 delegate votes, with five votes declared void, according to the Secretary of the Electoral Committee, Abdulazeez Salaudeen.
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