Adeleke’s PDP Screening, a Face-Saving Move After Failed APC Defection — Osun APC

 

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Governor Ademola Adeleke to begin preparing his handover note ahead of the 2026 governorship election, insisting that no “political magic” can save him from defeat next year.

Reacting to the governor’s screening by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, the APC described the exercise as a “face-saving move” following what it claimed was Adeleke’s failed attempt to defect to the ruling party at the centre.

In a statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the APC said videos and photos showing Adeleke’s arrival at the PDP National Secretariat — alongside the state Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Bunmi Jenyo — were “mere theatrics” to cover up his rejection by the APC.

The statement alleged that the governor made several overtures to defect to the APC over the last five months but was rebuffed by the party’s leadership, who reportedly described him as “an unmarketable governor whose administration has brought untold hardship to the people of Osun.”

According to the APC, Adeleke’s government is marked by “poor policy formulation, lack of transparency, corruption, nepotism, and wasteful spending.” It accused the governor of expending over ₦60 billion on the Governor’s Office in less than three years without employing a single teacher despite collecting money from over 32,000 job seekers under the pretext of a recruitment exercise.

The opposition party also flayed the Adeleke administration for “neglecting the education sector”, saying underfunding has forced state-owned tertiary institutions to introduce “arbitrary and exorbitant fees” to survive.

Describing the PDP screening as a “kangaroo exercise”, the APC said it was a ploy to deflect public attention from Adeleke’s alleged desperation to secure political refuge.

“Information available to us confirms that Governor Adeleke and his elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, were seen loitering around Aso Villa last week, begging for soft landing to join the APC,” the statement claimed.

Olabisi said Osun residents have already “screened out” the governor through their disapproval of his three-year record in office, which he described as “riddled with misgovernance, misplaced priorities, vengeance, and wastage of resources.”

He added:

“The 2026 governorship election is a contest for Adeleke and his rudderless party to lose. The people of Osun have made up their minds to end this era of mediocrity. Governor Adeleke knows he cannot survive the political heat from the array of super-qualified aspirants in our party, any of whom is capable of sending him back to Atlanta.”

The APC maintained that regardless of the platform under which Adeleke contests next year, he will be decisively defeated at the polls.