A fresh wave of uncertainty has gripped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State as a faction of the party on Tuesday conducted a controversial governorship primary that produced Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as its 2026 gubernatorial candidate barely 24 hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke formally resigned from the party.
Adeleke, in a letter dated November 2, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of Ward 2, Sagba, Ede, cited the unresolved leadership crisis at the national level as the reason for his departure. While he did not disclose his new political platform, PDP sources say the governor is likely to seek re-election under another party.
Despite Adeleke’s exit, the PDP National Organizing Secretary, Theophilus Shan, announced in a December 1 memo that the primary would proceed as scheduled, noting that delegate congresses had been completed in late November and that an electoral committee had been appointed to supervise the process.
At the primary held at Adolac Multipurpose Hall, Osogbo, Adedamola secured 919 votes out of 958 accredited votes, emerging as the faction’s preferred candidate.
However, the exercise was fraught with controversy.
Multiple eyewitness accounts confirmed that a significant number of delegates at the venue were drawn not from Osun but from Oyo State, with several of them admitting they were mobilised to fill delegate slots. Heavy security provided by policemen from Oyo State further deepened suspicions.
A party chieftain from Oyo, who spoke anonymously, justified the intervention:
“Osun PDP did not conduct the mandatory three adhoc delegates. We filled the vacancies. We cannot allow the party to die here.”
The situation took a dramatic turn when several suspected political thugs were arrested. Some reportedly confessed to being mobilised from the Oyo State Government House, allegedly on the orders of Governor Seyi Makinde. Buses loaded with PDP members were also sighted entering Osun through Iwo and Ikire axes on the eve of the congress.
Inside the hall, PDP members from Osun were conspicuously absent, while the Ibadan-based Zonal Youth Leader of the party was seen coordinating arrivals from Oyo.
The events have further exposed deep fissures within the Osun PDP, raising questions about the legitimacy of the primary and the future of the party in the state ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
With Adeleke out, Adedamola’s emergence leaves the faction battling both internal rebellion and public scrutiny while Osun voters watch closely to see how the unfolding political drama will reshape the state’s electoral landscape.
