PDP says Adeleke a ‘victim of circumstance’ after defection to Accord Party

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 11 December 2025 8:27pm WAT

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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke (left), and National Chairman of the Accord Party (AP), Maxwell Mgbudem, during the presentation of the AP’s flag to the governor after his declaration for the party in the state.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke (left), and National Chairman of the Accord Party (AP), Maxwell Mgbudem, during the presentation of the AP’s flag to the governor after his declaration for the party in the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party has attributed the defection of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to unresolved internal crises, describing the governor as “a victim of circumstance.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday that Adeleke’s departure resulted from problems the party allowed to escalate. “Every problem is human-caused and therefore should have a human solution,” he said, noting that timely intervention by the party leadership could have prevented the tensions that eventually pushed the governor out.

“At the level of leadership to which he belonged in the party, the party ought to have acted decisively,” Ememobong added. He described the party’s internal issues as self-inflicted, warning that ignoring conflicts worsens political tensions. “The challenge is that immediately we begin to feed the monster without knowing we will end up in the belly of the monster, after a while, we become victims. If we feed animals to the monster, and we think time will solve problems, time allows human beings to solve problems. It doesn’t solve problems on its own,” he explained.

The spokesman traced the major trigger of the party’s breakdown to the controversial PDP convention in Ibadan, which led to the expulsion of key members, the emergence of new national officers, and deepening hostilities. He said Adeleke’s exit was linked to “circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities which he cannot completely extricate himself from.” Governor Adeleke formally resigned from the PDP in a letter dated November 4, 2025, addressed to the party chairman of Ward 2 in Ede North.

He announced his resignation publicly on December 2 via his official X handle, citing the “current crisis of the national leadership of the PDP.”

His resignation was followed by confirmation that he had joined the Accord Party. Adeleke revealed that he registered with the party on November 6, 2025, and would seek re-election in August 2026 on its platform. He explained that the move followed consultations with political stakeholders and was motivated by his alignment with the party’s mission of welfarism.

On Wednesday, Adeleke emerged as the Accord Party’s candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship election, securing 145 votes out of 150 cast by delegates from Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while five votes were declared void.

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