Former Deputy Governor of Osun State and All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has labelled current Governor Ademola Adeleke a “political orphan,” amid renewed allegations that Adeleke is seeking to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC.
Omisore made the comment on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, where he reacted to persistent speculation surrounding Adeleke’s political future.
According to Omisore, the governor has been actively lobbying APC leaders, including a serving southern governor, to facilitate his defection.
“Why do you want to force yourself on the party? Why is the governor begging to enter the party? He is struggling, begging and fighting to join APC,” Omisore stated.
He criticised Adeleke’s leadership of the state, claiming that no major APC figure has crossed to the PDP under his watch.
In contrast, Omisore pointed out that several prominent PDP members in Osun, including Alhaji Isa Oyedokun, Dayo Babayemi, and Hon. Wole Oke, have already defected to the APC or are reportedly on their way.
“For the past three years, he has been governing that state with no single person decamping from APC to PDP,” meanwhile, one over seventh of PDP members have moved to APC, which you know, of course,” he said.
Background to the rumours
Speculation over Governor Adeleke’s loyalty to the PDP has intensified in recent months, particularly after his frequent engagements with key figures in the APC.
In June, his unannounced visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja set off a fresh wave of rumours. Though the governor’s team claimed the visit was purely administrative, critics and observers suggested it had political undertones.
Adeleke, who won the 2022 Osun gubernatorial election on the platform of the PDP, defeating then-incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, has faced internal friction within his own party.
Analysts say ongoing tensions with some factions of the PDP and pressure from political heavyweights may be pushing him to explore a return to the APC the party he was once loosely aligned with during earlier political movements in the state.
Although Governor Adeleke has yet to make any public statement confirming or denying his alleged defection plans, the silence has done little to dispel the growing narrative.
APC caution, internal reactions
Within APC circles, there has been mixed reaction to the possibility of Adeleke joining the party. While some see it as a strategic win ahead of the 2026 governorship election, others have raised concerns about the governor’s political consistency and previous criticisms of APC policies.
Omisore’s blunt remarks appear to reflect this cautious approach, portraying Adeleke not as a political asset, but as a desperate politician with no clear ideological base.
With the next electoral cycle approaching, political realignments in Osun remain fluid, and all eyes are on Governor Adeleke as the PDP and APC reposition for future contests.
