Osun 2026: I’m not defecting to ADC, says Adeleke

Nigeria’s “dancing governor” and incumbent governor of Osun state, Ademola Adeleke, has denied plans to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state.  Governor Adeleke is presently of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He described the claim from a report as untrue, which is a calculated attempt by those afraid of his soaring acceptability to create confusion and uncertainty in the mind of the people.

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said: “We want to reiterate for the umpteenth time that Governor Adeleke remains committed to the PDP and has no plan whatsoever to join the ADC or any party for that matter.

“Governor Adeleke’s pre-occupation at the moment is the continued delivery of dividends of democracy to Osun people, who gave him their mandates three years ago.”

The statement added that Adeleke and leaders in the PDP were focused on galvanising the structures of the party for the ongoing voter registration ahead of next year’s election.

He said: “Those behind the latest round of misinformation are trying to latch on the huge goodwill Governor Adeleke enjoys among Osun people to sway support. The unsolicited endorsements of Governor Adeleke are rattling those afraid of the will of the people.

“We, therefore, urge the public to disregard any report linking Governor Adeleke with a defection move, as such is entirely false. PDP members and supporters of the governor are enjoined not to succumb to the fake news. Instead, they should focus on mobilising votes for his re-election bid under the PDP.”