Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke may be forced to seek an alternative platform for his 2026 re-election bid, Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Engr. Kamoru Ajisafe, has said.
Ajisafe warned that the PDP might be unable to field a governorship candidate due to its deepening internal crisis.
Speaking on Rave FM’s Frank Talk programme on Monday, the PDP chieftain blamed the turmoil on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the party’s factional National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
His comments came amid growing speculation that Governor Adeleke could defect to the Accord Party next week, ahead of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s December 15 deadline for party primaries.
Ajisafe expressed displeasure over the roles played by Wike, Anyanwu and other power blocs within the party, which he said had already cost the PDP key figures such as Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas.
He said: “I am not happy with the way things are going in the party. Anyanwu is my personal friend. In Ekiti, we fixed a date for the primary and formally notified INEC to monitor it, but Anyanwu’s group wrote to INEC insisting no primary should hold, even though the exercise has clear timelines.”
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“Like that of Osun State now, they gave us time for our primary which is December 15, Anyanwu was not ready to sign. So how do we move?
“That is an automatic ceding of the mandate of the election. Wike and Dr Ademola Adeleke met, they discussed freely only for Wike to come to national television and say that he advised Osun Governor, what advice did he give? Adeleke told him that he has to stop all the shenanigans and requested what he wanted.”
Responding to Adeleke’s possible defection from PDP ahead of primary, he said: “Let me tell you that if anything happens in Osun, it has to do with looking for a platform to contest, I am telling you.
“Where is the platform to contest now? If you are very good party man will you be happy losing someone like Taraba State governor, Osun state, like you rightly said he is planning, I don’t know about planning, political platform is to contest, I am not happy about that.
“But the problem we have in Osun is quite different from what we have in Taraba. Election of Taraba and some other States are in 2027. Our own in Osun is 2026, the primary for any political party trying to present a candidate for the 2026 gubernatorial election is December 15.
“What is the position of INEC, what do we do, how are we going to manage that? After December 15, INEC by the constitution will not recognise any emergence of candidate from any political primary.
“If you are a consultant what would you advice, will you advise that I stay in a party, where I would not be able to exercise my right of returning to office, just advice me what you want Adeleke to do now, he has not told the world but ask.”
Ajisafe: “It is absolutely known to the whole world that there is no way that the PDP would be able to nominate a candidate for the 2026 governorship election, if you block your road or gate for me to enter and another occupant of another platform magnanimously allow you to pass freely, would I be crying that you lock your gate?
“What do you expect somebody like Adeleke should do, I am talking frankly on the radio that people can hear me that is the fight we have with Wike and Anyanwu.”
