- Safiu Kehinde
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back at the Peoples Democratic Party’s leadership caucus of the state over their displeasure with the rumoured defection of the the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, to their party.
NPO Reported that the PDP caucus leaders had in a communique issued yesterday following their meeting on Monday faulted Adeleke’s alleged plan to defect to APC.
Reacting in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Chairman, Sooko Lawal, the Osun APC accused the PDP of telling lies to the public rather than disclosing to them that Adeleke was rejected because he was quickly identified as a trojan horse, a big baggage and liability that would hurt the integrity of the APC.
The APC claimed that the caucus had in the communique signed by Governor Adeleke and twenty-seven other chieftains of the party had decried the resistance against the planned defection of Governor Adeleke to the APC.
It alleged that Adeleke and the PDP leaders are desperate to join the APC over fear of impending defeat at the 2026 general election.
The APC claimed that the PDP has lost its stronghold in the state on account of Adeleke’s alleged maladministration and high-levelled corruption.
“We state first of all that the highly informed Osun State public, who are aware that it was the fear of the impending 2026 election defeat that motivated the governor to desperately seek in our party an asylum for his political survival in 2026, are excited about the measured treatment meted to the Osun State governor and his desperate party men.
“It is no longer news that the Osun PDP has become a leprous house deserted by decent politicians with intention to serve the people.
“From 2023 when the party began to morally emaciate and became a war loot of the Adeleke dynasty, bright minds and people with good names to protect, who could not tolerate the deceit, shenanigans and high-levelled corruption and brigandage the Adeleke government represents, daily troop out from the tattered umbrella into our party, thus leaving the PDP with carcasses and political dregs with no structure and hope to retain power in future elections.
“Therefore, the self adulation of the PDP caucus that it remains the most popular party in Osun State is merely self-consolatory as the claim could not be substantiated with facts.
“Did the caucus aggregate the opinion of the parents and students of the University of Ilesa, where students are charged N1.5 million per session, before arriving at its claim?
“Did the caucus seek the opinion of the Osun State public who are angry that Governor Adeleke devoted N13 billion to purchase luxury cars for his aides and unproductive politicians without buying a single bus to ease the public transport in the state?” The APC asked.
It further accused the Adeleke-led administration of duping 32,000 job applicants who were promised teaching employments.
While acknowledging the free entry and free exit arrangement of a political party, the APC held that Adeleke is only running away from the wrath of Osun State electorate after allegedly mismanaging close to N1 trillion in 30 months of his administration.
The APC said accepting Adeleke into the party will tarnish its image while recounting the alleged attacks and murder of some of its members by Adeleke’s cohorts during the 2023 Presidential election.
It also accused Adeleke of disregard to the APC National leader, President Bola Tinubu, describing his frequent visits to the President as part of his desperate bid to join the party.
“A political party is a free-exit-free-entry arrangement, therefore, everyone is welcome. However, in a situation where an entry is suspected to tarnish the image of the party and create a public perception crisis for it, the party is at will to foreclose such a destructive entry as it was the case in the instance of Adeleke’s attempt to smuggle himself into our party.
“Would the caucus have expected the stakeholders in the APC to welcome with open arm characters under whose hands no fewer than 30 members of the APC were slaughtered and bludgeoned to death for no other reason than for supporting the candidature of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become the country’s President in 2023?
“Would the caucus have expected the APC to give free entry to those who are still answering to the murder charge of a leading campaigner of Tinubu re-election bid and Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Honourable Remi Abass, who was killed just five months ago in the premises of Irewole Local Government Council?
“Would the caucus in all conscience expect the APC to welcome into its fold characters under the investigations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) for funneling into their private accounts local government allocations meant for the people’s good?
“Those who rejected the defection of Adeleke to the APC knew the intention was deceptive and was solely because of the troubled re-election bid of the governor having regard that the same PDP is daily recruiting canvassers and opinion moulders to tarnish the image of President Tinubu on the radio and television in the state while he is all over Abuja pretending to be friends of the President.
“You cannot be criticizing, rubbishing and abusing the national leader of our party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the corners of the state and at the same time be putting up a friendly posture all in the interest of your desperate re-election bid which has hit the rock before the election proper.” The APC wrote further.
The opposition party claimed that Osun State citizens are tired of Adeleke and can not wait to reject him at the poll.
It noted that 2026 will be a pay-back time from the people of Osun State, who have been the victims of the PDP’s alleged high-handedness, lack of focus, profiligacy, corruption and refusal to honour court judgements.