Adeleke resigns from PDP over leadership crisis

Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement issued by Olawale Rasheed, his spokesperson, Adeleke announced his resignation in a letter dated November 4 and addressed to the chairman of ward 2 in Sagba Abogunde, Ede north LGA of Osun.

In the letter, Adeleke attributed his exit to the crisis within the national leadership of the PDP.

“Due to the current crisis within the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect,” the letter reads.

“I thank the Peoples Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a senator (representing Osun west) and as governor of Osun State under the Peoples Democratic Party.”

Adeleke did not disclose the political party he intends to join following his exit from the PDP.

On Monday, Sunday Bisi, chairman of the PDP in Osun, said Adeleke may withdraw from seeking the party’s ticket for the 2026 gubernatorial election unless the ongoing national leadership crisis is resolved in a manner recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and within its timelines.

The Osun PDP chapter had also said the party’s governorship primary scheduled for December 2 would no longer hold as planned.

However, the Kabiru Turaki-led PDP national working committee (NWC) had insisted on proceeding with the primary as scheduled.

Adeleke is the latest governor to leave the major opposition party in 2025.

Other governors who have defected from the PDP include Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Peter Mbah of Enugu and Douye Diri of Bayelsa.

Earlier this year, speculation circulated that the Osun governor might defect to either the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—a claim he repeatedly denied.

Adeleke will seek re-election on August 8, 2026, in one of the few off-cycle governorship contests.

In 2022, Adeleke secured 403,371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC and the incumbent governor, who polled 375,027 votes.  Adeleke won 17 LGAs, while Oyetola won 13.

The Osun governorship election tribunal, in January 2023, sacked Adeleke and held that Oyetola proved there was over-voting in some polling units.

Consequently, the tribunal’s majority judgement ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Adeleke and issue a fresh one to Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Adeleke approached the court of appeal.

In March, the court of appeal sitting in Abuja reinstated Adeleke as governor of Osun.

The supreme court later affirmed his election as governor of Osun state in May 2023.