OSOGBO, Nigeria — Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), becoming the latest high-profile governor to leave the opposition party amid escalating internal turmoil.
Adeleke’s resignation was announced in a statement on Thursday, November 27, 2025, by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, who released the contents of a letter dated 4 November and addressed to the chairman of Ward 2 in Sagba Abogunde, Ede North Local Government Area.
In the letter, Adeleke attributed his withdrawal to the deepening crisis within the PDP’s national leadership.
“Due to the current crisis within the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect,” he wrote.
“I thank the Peoples Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a senator (representing Osun West) and as governor of Osun State under the Peoples Democratic Party.”
Adeleke did not disclose his next political destination, leaving speculation open amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2026 governorship election in Osun.
Earlier in the year, rumours circulated that he might defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—claims he repeatedly denied.
His resignation comes at a time when the PDP is divided over its national leadership and the legitimacy of its internal processes.
On Monday, December 1, 2025, Sunday Bisi, Osun PDP chairman, warned that Adeleke could withdraw from seeking the party’s ticket for the 2026 governorship election unless the crisis was resolved in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) requirements.
The Osun chapter of the PDP also announced that its 2 December governorship primary would no longer hold as scheduled.
However, the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) insisted the primary would proceed, deepening the division between national leaders and state chapters.
Adeleke becomes the fifth PDP governor to dump the party in 2025, following defections by Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Peter Mbah of Enugu, and Douye Diri of Bayelsa.
The exodus marks one of the most significant collapses of the PDP’s governorship base since 2015.
Adeleke is expected to seek re-election on 8 August 2026, one of the off-cycle governorship contests attracting national attention.
He won the 2022 poll with 403,371 votes against then-incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, who polled 375,027.
Adeleke won 17 LGAs to Oyetola’s 13.
The result was initially overturned by the Osun governorship election tribunal in January 2023, which ruled in favour of Oyetola on grounds of over-voting.
The appeal court reinstated Adeleke in March, and the Supreme Court affirmed his victory in May 2023.
