A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following a disagreement over support for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election in 2026.
On Monday, the state party chairman, Sunday Bisi, directed all PDP structures in Osun to back Adeleke’s second-term ambition under the platform of the Accord Party. Bisi gave the directive during an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting held in Osogbo.
According to him, the decision was taken after careful consideration of the interests of the people of Osun State. He urged party members across all levels — from polling units to the state executive — to move en masse and give “total, unalloyed and uncompromising support” to the governor’s re-election bid.
Bisi described the move as a strategic step for the good of the state, praising Adeleke’s performance in office. He cited ongoing road projects across Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Ede, Iwo and Ila, as well as improvements in primary healthcare services, which he said had earned recognition and financial awards.
However, the directive was swiftly rejected by Seyi Bamidele, secretary of the PDP’s caretaker committee in the state.
The crisis stems from an earlier decision by the party’s national leadership to dissolve the Bisi-led State Working Committee and replace it with a caretaker committee. While the new committee insists it is the legitimate leadership, the dissolved executive has refused to accept the decision, maintaining that it remains the constitutionally recognised authority in the state.
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In a statement on Monday, Bamidele dismissed Bisi’s directive as null and void, arguing that the dissolved executive lacks the authority to issue instructions on behalf of the party.
He stressed that decisions concerning coalitions, alliances or political partnerships fall strictly within the powers of the PDP’s national leadership, not any state organ or former executive.
Bamidele further assured party members that the PDP in Osun remains intact and united under the caretaker leadership. He said the party is mobilising for the August 15 governorship election and is confident it will be duly represented on the ballot.
The disagreement highlights deepening internal divisions within the Osun PDP as preparations intensify for the 2026 governorship race.
