Confused, Adeleke says “I’m not defecting to ADC”

Subsumed in confusion, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke says he is not decamping to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the August 8, 2026, governorship election in the state.

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Adeleke made this known in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Rasheed Olawale, on Friday, August 1.

But THE CONCLAVE reports that Adeleke is actually confused concerning his next political move.

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Whereas, he was said to have toyed with the idea of moving into APC, that move is being vigorously blocked by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, the man he defeated in 2022 to emerge as Osun State Governor.

Some analysts had projected that Adeleke might move into the ADC where a former Osun State Governor and Minister of Interior, Ogeni Rayf Aregbesola is National Secretary and holding court.

Recall that Adeleke had enjoyed the huge support of Aregbesola to deny Oyetola reelection as Osun Governor in 2022.

Although there were reports of friction between Adeleke and Aregbesola after the election, recent reports have indicated that both camps have reconciled their differences.

The report had fuelled the speculation that Adeleke might be heading into the ADC to team up with Aregbesola to lock down Osun State guber in 2026.

If either scenario works, the PDP will be the ultimate loser in Osun. Two serving PDP senators have just recently decamped to the APC.

The only PDP Senator left behind is Lere Oyewunmi, Deputy Senate Minority Leader. He is staying back in the PDP for now because of the position he holds.

But Rasheed Olawale said the governor remained in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was not aligning with anybody within the ADC.

He stated that there was no truth in the speculation about Adeleke’s imminent decampment or alignment with ADC bigwigs ahead of the 2026 governorship election.

“There is no truth in those speculations and publications,” the governor’s spokesperson stated.

Olawale said since the PDP in Osun had adopted and endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, there was no alliance with ADC.

Olawale added: “Governor Adeleke has no alliance with anyone in ADC. He remains in PDP, will run in PDP, and needs no alliance with ADC to win with a wide margin in 2026.

“The Osun electorate support the governor because of his impressive performance since he came to office.

“That good work is still ongoing, and the people of the state are committed to sustaining the delivery of good governance by re-electing him in 2026.”

He quoted the governor to have directed PDP members in Osun State to forge ahead with the ongoing strengthening of the party structures across all levels to prepare for a victory in the election.