Osun PDP caretaker committee rejects re-election of governor ADELEKE under Accord

Tuesday, March, 3 2026 - A fresh leadership dispute has emerged within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State, as the party’s caretaker committee distanced itself from a directive backing Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid on another platform.

The disagreement centred on a resolution announced in Osogbo by Sunday Bisi, who previously chaired the party’s State Working Committee before its dissolution by the national leadership.

Bisi had urged members to support Governor Adeleke’s second-term ambition in the 2026 governorship election under the Accord Party.

The caretaker committee, constituted by the national body of the PDP and led by Tunde Tijani, with Seyi Bamidele serving as secretary, described the directive as invalid and without effect.

In a statement issued on Monday, Bamidele said the dissolved executive lacked the authority to issue instructions on behalf of the party.

“Such a directive is null, void, and of no consequence,” he stated.

He added that matters relating to alliances or political coalitions fall strictly within the powers of the party’s national leadership.

“No individual or dissolved organ has the power to appropriate that responsibility,” Bamidele said.

The controversy follows an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting convened in Osogbo, where Bisi directed party structures across polling units, wards and local government areas to align with Adeleke’s re-election project on the Accord platform.

According to him, the decision was taken after what he described as careful consideration of the interests of Osun residents.

“All our structures, from the polling units to the state executive committee, are hereby directed to give total support to the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke under the platform of the Accord,” he declared.

Bisi characterised the move as a strategic step, citing road projects across Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Ede, Iwo and Ila, as well as developments in primary healthcare delivery.

“Your administration has transformed infrastructure and strengthened primary healthcare services across the state,” he said, addressing the governor during the meeting.

However, the caretaker committee insisted that the PDP in Osun remains intact and focused on contesting the forthcoming poll under its own banner.

Bamidele maintained that the party’s structures from ward to state levels remain functional and loyal to the PDP.

“We are fully mobilising for the August 15 gubernatorial election and are confident that our party will be duly represented on the ballot,” he said.

The development underscores ongoing internal disagreements within the Osun PDP over leadership authority and the political direction ahead of the 2026 governorship election.