PDP spokesperson: Internal crisis pushed Adeleke to Accord — but he’s not completely blameless

Ini Ememobong, national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the internal crisis that has troubled the party for months was the primary factor behind the exit of Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun state.

Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, Ememobong described Adeleke’s move to the Accord as the outcome of a conflict that the PDP leadership failed to address early and decisively.

Adeleke resigned from the PDP on December 2, citing leadership issues, before joining Accord where he has emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2026 Osun governorship election.

Ememobong said the turmoil in the PDP created cracks that widened over time, eventually pushing Adeleke out.

“Adeleke’s defection was avoidable because every problem is human-caused and therefore should have a human solution,” he said.

The PDP spokesperson noted that the disagreements within the party became visible as far back as 2023 and should have been tackled when they were still manageable. He added that hesitation from party leaders allowed the situation to deteriorate.

“At the level of leadership to which he belonged in the party, the party ought to have acted decisively,” he said.

The PDP spokesperson added that internal crises often worsen when ignored. Using a metaphor, he warned against underestimating political tension:

“The challenge is that immediately we begin to feed the monster without knowing we will end up in the belly of the monster. After a while, we become victims.”

He noted that the party had relied too heavily on negotiation and the hope that tempers would cool on their own.

While acknowledging that such an approach is common in politics, he said it did not work in this case.

“Sometimes they think that with negotiations, when passions are calm, people could reconsider their position, but unfortunately, it didn’t,” he said.

Ememobong, however, noted that the Osun governor bears part of the blame for the crisis that led to his exit.

“Adeleke’s exit was due to circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities which he cannot completely extricate himself from,” he said.