Adeleke’s Move to Accord Draws Fierce Response from Osun APC

 

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted strongly to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s formal defection to the Accord Party, describing the development as “a good riddance” and insisting it will have no impact on what it called his “imminent electoral defeat” in next year’s governorship election.

Adeleke, who resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week, announced his new political home at a ceremony held at the Government House, Osogbo, on Tuesday. But the APC said the governor’s switch was neither surprising nor politically consequential.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, the party said Adeleke’s defection amounted to “a reluctant acceptance” by Accord, alleging that the governor had been rejected by several other political parties before “settling” for Accord.

The APC accused the governor of abandoning the PDP and lawmakers elected on the party’s platform, saying his exit was driven by “selfish motives” rather than a genuine attempt to resolve the longstanding crises within the PDP.

“A good leader and grateful beneficiary of the party’s support would have confronted the issues head on,” the statement read. “Instead, the governor chose to flee, leaving behind the same crisis he helped deepen.”

The opposition party argued that Adeleke’s decision to join a party with no sitting governor or national political structure was evidence of his shrinking political appeal. It insisted that his new affiliation would not shield him from electoral defeat.

According to the APC, the governor’s three-year record in office has left Osun State “wobbling,” adding that residents at home and in the diaspora have become “remote victims” of what it described as his administration’s “series of missteps.”

The party maintained that Adeleke’s alleged inadequacies in governance and political organisation have eroded his chances of a second term. It vowed to defeat him “in line with the law” and “send him packing” in the 2026 governorship election.

The APC also mocked the governor over what it called the “intractable” Okefia Flyover project, describing it as symbolic of his administration’s challenges.

Lawal further took a swipe at PDP chairman in the state, Sunday Bisi, asking what would become of the “curses” he reportedly placed on former PDP members who defected before Adeleke.

The statement concluded that the governor’s move to Accord “is not a defection in the real sense, but a decoy to exit politics prematurely.”

Adeleke has yet to respond to the APC’s claims.