The All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State chapter has declared that its refusal to allow the attempt by Governor Ademola Adeleke to defect to the party was deliberate knowing fully well that he is a political liability.
The APC pointedly said that accepting Adeleke into the Party would dents its image and destroy the integrity the party is known for in the State.
Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, Chairman of the Osun APC, who stated the position of the party on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, while responding to the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 general election by Governor Adeleke and 27 chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, said that there was no way the Party would accept the governor with so much baggage.
Lawal pointedly said that Adeleke’s desperate attempt to join the APC was motivated by his fear of an “impending defeat’ in the 2026 governorship election in the State, adding that the governor is running a corrupt and directionless government that is not in line with the APC style of governance.
The PDP leadership caucus in Osun State had in a communiqué said that Governor Adeleke had put his defection plan on hold due to significant resistance from both PDP and APC members, while reaffirming their collective support for Tinubu.
But, the APC Chairman for Osun State, stressed that Adeleke’s public support for President Tinubu would not protect him from defeat in the 2026 governorship election.
Lawal described the Adeleke administration as a “leprous house” that has driven away principled politicians, stressing that only “carcasses and political dregs” remain in the PDP that has been reduced to an empty shell following the collapse of its “moral” in 2023.
He further accused Adeleke’s administration of imposing exorbitant school fees (up to N1.5 million per session) on students of the University of Ilesa and spending N13 billion on luxury vehicles for his aides, in addition to defrauding over 32,000 teaching job applicants.
The APC Chairman also accused Adeleke of mismanaging nearly N1 trillion in just 30 months of his administration, stressing that while parties are open for entry, he however, said that they are also within their rights to deny such entry if it threatens their public image or risks creating a perception crisis, as was the case with Adeleke.
Lawal affirmed the APC’s readiness to reclaim power in Osun in 2026, emphasising that no alliance, endorsement, or defection attempt would shield Adeleke from electoral defeat.
