November 10, (THEWILL) — Governor Ademola Adeleke is caught in the middle of the November 15 and 16, 2025 pre-National Convention crisis of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the party’s primary election for the August 8, 2026 governorship poll in Osun State. As at October 30, the governor who remains the party’s only aspirant in the upcoming poll underwent screening towards the party’s primaries.
But recent developments seemed to have upset things, giving room for another round of rumours about the possible defection of the governor. Reports that the governor is planning to defect from the PDP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have been officially dismissed as fake news.
Speaking on the rumour, spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, urged the general public to discountenance the rumour entirely. The denial comes in response to a speculation making the rounds across various media platforms, suggesting that the governor was preparing to switch political affiliations.
Rasheed said the governor remains committed to his mandate under the platform of the PDP and he is focused on delivering his administration’s promises to the people of Osun State.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Osun State APC chairman that Governor Ademola Adeleke is negotiating with former Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, about joining the African Democratic Congress, ADC. The report is false, and the assertion by the opposition is mere fabrication and fake news.”
THEWILL recalls that Governor Adeleke once made attempts to join the APC, but he was rejected by the stakeholders loyal to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola. Nonetheless, the lingering pre-convention crisis in the party appears to have cast a cloud over the political future of the governor.
Factions led by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde, who controls the National Chairman, Umar Damagun and Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, have been at loggerheads over the national convention.
The court has not helped matters. An Abuja Federal High Court recently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the planned convention. In another judgement, this time by Oyo State High Court Presided over by Justice A.L. Akintola, cleared the party to hold its elective National Convention for Ibadan and ordered the INEC to monitor and observe the convention.
For the governor, who is known to belong to the Makinde faction, the ongoing crisis, holds uncertainty, fuelling rumours of defection. However further developments at the weekend have worsened matters.
Both factions moved further apart by consolidating their respective positions. The Wike-led faction on Friday went ahead to give administrative power to its faction by appointing Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT) and Hon. Isah Dansidi as Secretary.
The appointments were announced in Abuja on Friday during the inauguration of the board by the factional Acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed.
In a communiqué jointly signed by Ohuabunwa and Dansidi, the faction said the changes became necessary following the public involvement of the immediate past BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara and Secretary, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, in the ongoing crisis within the party.
“The Board noted that the immediate past BoT Chairman and Secretary, having publicly taken positions in the ongoing intra-party crisis, can no longer continue in order to preserve the neutrality, integrity, and moral authority of the BoT,” the statement read.
The faction explained that the new appointments maintain the regional balance of the previous structure, noting that Ohuabunwa, like Wabara, is from the South, while Dansidi, like Makarfi, is from the North.
The communiqué further stated that the BoT remains committed to upholding the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, INEC guidelines, and the PDP Constitution.
Meanwhile, state chairmen of the PDP have disowned the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led faction, affirming their loyalty to the National Working Committee chaired by Umar Damagum.
In a communiqué issued after their meeting in Abuja on Thursday and signed by Forum Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi and Secretary, Edward Masha, the chairmen urged party members to continue preparations for the forthcoming national convention in Ibadan. They also reiterated their commitment to strengthening internal democracy and restoring public trust in the party.
Moreover, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said Adeleke should be blamed if the PDP does not have a candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
When asked if the situation could mean that the PDP may not be able to field a candidate in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, Wike said he warned Governor Adeleke, but he didn’t listen.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today last week, Wike, who has openly supported President Bola Tinubu despite being in the PDP, said no one has contributed to the PDP more than him.
He said, “Let anybody who has contributed to PDP more than me say so. Ask the Governor of Osun. Adeleke came to see me and I asked him, What are you doing? You are in danger.
“Ask the dancing governor if I never called him and asked if he saw the implication and danger he is running into. Everybody believes that if you are a governor, you can do magic but it is not like that.
“I was not a governor when I became a governor. I resigned as a Minister to contest against a strong government of another party and I won.
“In 2019, the Federal Government came heavily against us and I still won. In 2023, I wanted to challenge any governor who had the capacity to do it. I told the PDP that I would support Tinubu but we won the governorship and the assembly seats.”
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
