The Osun State Government has explained that Governor Ademola Adeleke delayed the public announcement of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party in order to avoid disrupting the PDP’s national convention held in Ibadan.
The explanation was given on Wednesday by the state Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
According to Alimi, although Adeleke had already resigned from the PDP and aligned with the Accord Party earlier in November, he chose to wait until the party’s convention was concluded before formally unveiling his new political platform.
“The governor resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party on November 4. By November 6, he had already moved to the Accord Party, but the unveiling was delayed because the PDP convention was ongoing,” Alimi said.
He added that Adeleke was careful not to be perceived as contributing to tensions within the opposition party during the sensitive period.
“He did not want to be seen as part of those who disrupted the convention. The leadership crisis within the PDP had escalated, and that was the major reason he eventually left,” the commissioner stated.
Governor Adeleke officially joined the Accord Party on Tuesday, weeks after submitting his resignation letter to the PDP, citing the unresolved national leadership crisis rocking the party.
In his resignation letter addressed to the PDP Ward 2 chairman in Sagba Abogunde, Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State, the governor said the internal crisis made it impossible to continue his membership.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, I hereby resign my membership of the party with immediate effect,” the letter read.
Alimi noted that the PDP’s division into rival national leadership factions further complicated matters, especially following conflicting court orders regarding the party’s convention.
“The crisis was unending, and the governor felt his political future and ambitions could be jeopardised if he remained in the PDP,” he said.
He explained that Adeleke found the Accord Party’s ideology and manifesto compatible with his administration’s focus on governance and development.
“Looking at the Accord Party’s manifesto, it aligns with the kind of good governance Governor Adeleke is delivering. Since his unveiling, the reception has been very positive,” Alimi added.
Despite the defection, the commissioner stressed that Adeleke’s support for President Bola Tinubu and his second-term ambition remains unchanged.
“That position is not new. Even when we were in the PDP, we adopted President Bola Tinubu for a second term,” he said.
“When you trace the roots of the president, you trace them to Osun State. He is our own, and he deserves our full support.”
