Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party (AP) on Tuesday, weeks after officially resigning from the PDP, the platform on which he was elected.
The move, which stems from what the Governor's office described as a "worsening internal conflict" within the national PDP structure, was strategically delayed to avoid disrupting a major party convention.
The Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, confirmed the development on Wednesday, stating that the public declaration was postponed to prevent accusations of undermining the PDP's recent Ibadan convention.
Governor Adeleke resigned from the PDP on November 4 and joined the Accord Party two days later, on November 6, according to the Commissioner.
Commissioner Alimi explained the reasoning behind the governor’s calculated delay. “He resigned his membership from the People’s Democratic Party on November 4. He had actually joined the Accord Party by November 6, but he delayed the unveiling because of the convention of the PDP, which was going on,” Alimi told Channels Television.
He added that the governor "didn’t want to be seen as part of the people who disrupted the event," choosing instead to wait for the conclusion of the PDP gathering.
In his resignation letter, addressed to the PDP Ward 2 Chairman in Sagba Abogunde, Ede North, Governor Adeleke cited the party's turbulent internal affairs.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party with immediate effect,” the letter read.
The Commissioner stressed that the Governor was convinced his political future was at risk by remaining with the main opposition party. “He left the People’s Democratic Party because the leadership crisis was unending,” Alimi noted.
Alimi stated that the move to Accord "goes in line with good governance that Adeleke is delivering," and claimed that the Governor's transition has been welcomed by supporters since its unveiling.
Despite his departure from the PDP, the Commissioner affirmed Governor Adeleke's commitment to supporting the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu, a member of the APC.
"That is no longer news for anybody. Even when we were in the People’s Democratic Party, we adopted the President [Tinubu] for a second term,” Alimi asserted. He added that the support is natural, given the President's "historical ties to Osun state."
