The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has claimed it turned down an alleged move by Governor Ademola Adeleke to join its ranks, branding him a political liability and accusing him of running a corrupt administration.
The statement from the party followed Governor Adeleke’s endorsement alongside 27 chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of President Bola Tinubu as their preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The endorsement, according to the PDP caucus, was based partly on Tinubu’s Osun roots.
The PDP leadership, in a communiqué released after a caucus meeting, disclosed that Governor Adeleke had dropped his defection plan after meeting stiff resistance from both his party and the APC.
Nonetheless, the group reaffirmed their support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Reacting to these developments, Osun APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, issued a sharp rebuke of the governor’s purported move, accusing him of seeking political refuge out of fear of losing the 2026 governorship race.
“We state first of all that the highly informed Osun public aware that it was the fear of an impending 2026 election defeat that motivated the governor to desperately seek asylum in our party for political survival are excited by the treatment meted out to Governor Adeleke and his desperate loyalists,” Lawal said.
He further accused Adeleke’s government of incompetence and corruption, claiming it had alienated honest and visionary leaders from the PDP.
“We state first of all that the highly informed Osun public… are excited by the treatment meted out to Governor Adeleke and his desperate loyalists,” Lawal reiterated.
Describing the state administration as a “leprous house,” Lawal alleged that Adeleke had reduced the PDP to a hollow structure lacking integrity.
“Since 2023, when the PDP began to morally collapse and became the private loot of the Adeleke dynasty, individuals with integrity and vision have been leaving the tattered umbrella for the APC,” he said.
He accused the governor of imposing exorbitant fees on students at the University of Ilesa, with figures reaching N1.5 million per session.
Lawal also alleged that Adeleke had spent N13 billion on luxury vehicles for aides, defrauded thousands of teacher job applicants, and mismanaged close to N1 trillion within 30 months in office.
“Political parties are, by nature, open to entry and exit. However, when such an entry threatens the public image of the party or risks creating a perception crisis, the party is within its rights to deny such entry as was the case with Adeleke,” Lawal argued.
He emphasized that no endorsement or alliance would protect the governor from electoral defeat in 2026, asserting the APC’s readiness to reclaim control of the state.
“The governor’s support for President Tinubu would not shield him from defeat in the 2026 governorship election,” he declared.
