The Osun State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday Bisi, has declared that the defection of members of the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not stop Governor Ademola Adeleke from winning his re-election in 2026.
Bisi dismissed the defections as “a storm in a teacup”, claiming that practically every segment of society supported Adeleke’s second-term campaign.
The chairman’s declaration came after rumours surfaced that the departure of some PDP members to the APC could imperil Adeleke’s chances in 2026.
Over the last month, several PDP members, including Wole Oke, a current member of the House of Representatives representing the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, have defected to the APC.
A previous chieftain of the party, Felix Ogunwale, who represented Osun Central in the Senate between 2003 and 2007, along with several of Oke’s followers, also departed the PDP.
Despite the defections, the three PDP senators in the National Assembly supported President Bola Tinubu for a second term.
These occurrences have raised fears among PDP members, while the APC continues to insult the party.
However, speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the PDP chairman stated that Adeleke had the support of the majority of the state’s population and expressed confidence that they would vote massively for the governor in 2026.
“The defections are not a serious matter; they are a storm in a teacup. If you talk about defection, you can reference the movement of the Delta State governor and the entire PDP structure in that state to the APC.”
“I acknowledge that as a real defection. The defections in Osun cannot affect us in any way,” he said.
“Adeleke is doing well in terms of infrastructure and social programmes for the people of the state. He has been delivering good governance, and people will appreciate him for that by re-electing him in 2026.”
