Amid rising political tensions and renewed speculation over Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former APC National Secretary and ex-Deputy Governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has launched a scathing attack on the governor, branding him a “political orphan” desperately seeking admission into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Omisore Mocks Alleged Defection Bid
Speaking during a live appearance on Politics Today on Wednesday, Omisore dismissed claims that the APC was courting Adeleke, insisting instead that the Osun governor was the one lobbying, unsuccessfully, to join the ruling party. According to him, Adeleke’s efforts — including meetings with top APC leaders and President Bola Tinubu — signalled desperation, not political strength.
“I’ve never seen a governor begging to enter a party in my life. This is the first time,” Omisore said. “He’s strongly begging, fighting to get into a party. The point is that when you want to come to a party, there must be a willing section of the party members. You must come to the home because politics is very local. What are they bringing to the party?”
He further cited reports of private meetings between Adeleke, his influential brother Adedeji Adeleke, and President Tinubu in Lagos, as well as outreach to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, as evidence of the governor’s quiet campaign to align with the APC.
“He’s a Political Orphan” — Omisore Declares
Omisore asserted that Adeleke’s current political standing within Osun State was feeble. He accused the governor of losing control over his own party, claiming that with many PDP loyalists defecting and the influential Aregbesola faction moving to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Adeleke was now “a political orphan.”
“The PDP is no longer popular in Osun; half of its members have defected. The Aregbesola faction has now moved to ADC. So he [Adeleke] is now a [political] orphan. If they are coming to the APC, they should come home and talk to us,” he stated.
Omisore questioned Adeleke’s political capital and pointed out that, despite three years in office, the governor had failed to orchestrate any notable defection from the APC to the PDP — a telling indicator, he argued, of his weakening influence.
Adeleke’s Rebuttal and Party Loyalty
In response to the swirling rumours and public ridicule, Governor Adeleke has firmly rejected claims of any planned defection. In a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on July 5, he reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and urged citizens to ignore what he described as “fake news.”
“I remain a loyal member and the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State. My focus remains on delivering good governance and fulfilling our 5-point agenda for the Osun people,” Adeleke wrote.
This was not his first denial. In May, the governor similarly dispelled defection rumours during a meeting with PDP stakeholders. He used the occasion to rally support for party unity amid increasing defections from the national level and internal party conflicts.
The Numbers and the Politics Behind the Allegations
Omisore did not stop at personal attacks. He backed his claims with electoral data from the 2022 Osun gubernatorial election. According to him, the margin of victory for Adeleke — 403,000 to APC’s 375,000 — was a narrow 3.97%, and was only made possible by anti-APC forces like ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
“With the likes of Isa Oyedokun, Dayo Babayemi, and Hon. Wole Oke now with us, and more on the way, the tide is turning,” Omisore declared. He said these movements demonstrated a loss of faith in PDP leadership and predicted a deeper crisis for Adeleke’s administration if the defection trend continued.
He suggested that Adeleke’s current predicament was the result of political miscalculations and a failure to consolidate his power base following victory in 2022.
Davido, Adedeji, Tinubu Meeting Fuels Further Speculation
Fueling the rumour mill further was a high-profile private visit on June 3, where Governor Adeleke, his billionaire brother Adedeji, and nephew — Afrobeats superstar Davido — met President Tinubu in his Lagos residence. While the nature of the meeting remains undisclosed, the optics have sparked widespread speculation about Adeleke’s intentions.
Observers have interpreted the visit as a strategic move to gain presidential blessing ahead of a possible defection, though the governor continues to deny any such plan. Political analysts, however, argue that the frequency and high-level nature of these engagements are too significant to be brushed aside.
As Osun politics continues to simmer, all eyes are now on Adeleke — a governor many believed came to power with mass support, now fighting to stay relevant in a shifting political landscape. Whether he stands firm with the PDP or crosses into the APC’s fold, the drama promises to reshape Osun’s political future.
Amid rising political tensions and renewed speculation over Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former APC National Secretary and ex-Deputy Governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has launched a scathing attack on the governor, branding him a “political orphan” desperately seeking admission into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Omisore Mocks Alleged Defection Bid
Speaking during a live appearance on Politics Today on Wednesday, Omisore dismissed claims that the APC was courting Adeleke, insisting instead that the Osun governor was the one lobbying, unsuccessfully, to join the ruling party. According to him, Adeleke’s efforts — including meetings with top APC leaders and President Bola Tinubu — signalled desperation, not political strength.
“I’ve never seen a governor begging to enter a party in my life. This is the first time,” Omisore said. “He’s strongly begging, fighting to get into a party. The point is that when you want to come to a party, there must be a willing section of the party members. You must come to the home because politics is very local. What are they bringing to the party?”
He further cited reports of private meetings between Adeleke, his influential brother Adedeji Adeleke, and President Tinubu in Lagos, as well as outreach to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, as evidence of the governor’s quiet campaign to align with the APC.
“He’s a Political Orphan” — Omisore Declares
Omisore asserted that Adeleke’s current political standing within Osun State was feeble. He accused the governor of losing control over his own party, claiming that with many PDP loyalists defecting and the influential Aregbesola faction moving to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Adeleke was now “a political orphan.”
“The PDP is no longer popular in Osun; half of its members have defected. The Aregbesola faction has now moved to ADC. So he [Adeleke] is now a [political] orphan. If they are coming to the APC, they should come home and talk to us,” he stated.
Omisore questioned Adeleke’s political capital and pointed out that, despite three years in office, the governor had failed to orchestrate any notable defection from the APC to the PDP — a telling indicator, he argued, of his weakening influence.
Adeleke’s Rebuttal and Party Loyalty
In response to the swirling rumours and public ridicule, Governor Adeleke has firmly rejected claims of any planned defection. In a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on July 5, he reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and urged citizens to ignore what he described as “fake news.”
“I remain a loyal member and the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State. My focus remains on delivering good governance and fulfilling our 5-point agenda for the Osun people,” Adeleke wrote.
This was not his first denial. In May, the governor similarly dispelled defection rumours during a meeting with PDP stakeholders. He used the occasion to rally support for party unity amid increasing defections from the national level and internal party conflicts.
The Numbers and the Politics Behind the Allegations
Omisore did not stop at personal attacks. He backed his claims with electoral data from the 2022 Osun gubernatorial election. According to him, the margin of victory for Adeleke — 403,000 to APC’s 375,000 — was a narrow 3.97%, and was only made possible by anti-APC forces like ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
“With the likes of Isa Oyedokun, Dayo Babayemi, and Hon. Wole Oke now with us, and more on the way, the tide is turning,” Omisore declared. He said these movements demonstrated a loss of faith in PDP leadership and predicted a deeper crisis for Adeleke’s administration if the defection trend continued.
He suggested that Adeleke’s current predicament was the result of political miscalculations and a failure to consolidate his power base following victory in 2022.
Davido, Adedeji, Tinubu Meeting Fuels Further Speculation
Fueling the rumour mill further was a high-profile private visit on June 3, where Governor Adeleke, his billionaire brother Adedeji, and nephew — Afrobeats superstar Davido — met President Tinubu in his Lagos residence. While the nature of the meeting remains undisclosed, the optics have sparked widespread speculation about Adeleke’s intentions.
Observers have interpreted the visit as a strategic move to gain presidential blessing ahead of a possible defection, though the governor continues to deny any such plan. Political analysts, however, argue that the frequency and high-level nature of these engagements are too significant to be brushed aside.
As Osun politics continues to simmer, all eyes are now on Adeleke — a governor many believed came to power with mass support, now fighting to stay relevant in a shifting political landscape. Whether he stands firm with the PDP or crosses into the APC’s fold, the drama promises to reshape Osun’s political future.
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