Amid speculations about Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s rumoured defection, an ex-National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Iyiola Omisore, has described him as a “[political] orphan” struggling to join the ruling party.
Omisore dismissed suggestions that Adeleke — following meetings with his family, President Bola Tinubu, and APC leaders — is being courted by the APC.
“I’ve not seen a situation where a state governor is struggling to enter another party. One, the PDP is no longer popular in Osun; half of its members have defected. The Aregbesola faction has now moved to ADC. So he [Adeleke] is now a [political] orphan. If they are coming to the APC, they should come home and talk to us.
“There was a meeting that we saw — his elder brother, the businessman, the widow’s father [a reference to Adedeji Adeleke], and himself — met with the President in Lagos. They also reached out to Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, to bring him [Adeleke] into the party. So they are struggling,” Omisore said on Wednesday’s Politics Today.
The senator criticised Adeleke’s reported move to join the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), questioning his popularity.
“As a governor, if you are popular enough, go and take another party. Look at Governor Orji Kalu in 2007 — he formed PPA and won in Abia. The current governor of Abia [Alex Otti] left the APC, joined a new party, and won as well.
“I’ve never seen a governor begging to enter a party in my life. This is the first time. He’s strongly begging, fighting to get into a party. The point is that when you want to come to a party, there must be a willing section of the party members. You must come to the home because politics is very local. What are they bringing to the party?” Omisore said.
READ ALSO: ‘I Remain In PDP,’ Adeleke Dismisses Defection Speculations
The APC chieftain questioned Adeleke’s political relevance. He claimed that while Adeleke has governed Osun for three years, there has been no notable defection from the APC to the PDP.
“In the 2022 election, APC garnered 375,000 votes, and PDP had 403,000 votes. The difference between them was 3.97 per cent. That margin included the efforts of people who worked against APC, like former governor Aregbesola and other PDP leaders, who have now joined the APC.
“Meanwhile, at least one-seventh of PDP members have moved to APC — people like Alhaji Isa Oyedokun, Dayo Babayemi, and Hon. Wole Oke — and more are still coming,” he stated.
A ‘Loyal Member’ Of PDP
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Over the last few hours, I have been inundated with calls regarding rumors of a possible defection. I want to assure the good people of Osun State and Nigerians at large; I remain a loyal member, and the leader of… pic.twitter.com/KeibeTOGid
— Gov Ademola Adeleke (@AAdeleke_01) July 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has repeatedly denied any plans to defect from the PDP. In a statement posted on his official X account on 5 July, he reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP.
“I have been inundated with calls regarding rumours of a possible defection. I want to assure the good people of Osun State and Nigerians at large: I remain a loyal member and the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State.
“My focus remains on delivering good governance and fulfilling our 5-point agenda for the Osun people. Please disregard the fake news and continue to support our mission for a better Osun State,” he wrote.
This is not the first time Adeleke has had to address such rumours. In May, during a meeting with key stakeholders, he reiterated that he had no intention of leaving the PDP for the APC.
His comment comes amid PDP’s internal wrangling and a wave of defections hitting the main opposition party.
Speculation intensified after the governor, alongside his brother, Adedeji Adeleke, and nephew – Afrobeats star David Adeleke (Davido) – paid a private visit to President Tinubu in his Ikoyi residence in Lagos on 3 June.
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