By Deborah Nnamdi
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) barely 24 hours before the party’s governorship primary, escalating the crisis currently unsettling the party’s state chapter.
A resignation letter dated November 4 and addressed to the chairman of Sagba Ward 2 in Ede surfaced on Monday evening, confirming the governor’s abrupt exit. In the letter, Adeleke attributed his decision to what he called the “current crisis of the national leadership” of the PDP.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership with immediate effect,” the letter read.
The development comes amid conflicting directives over whether Tuesday’s governorship primary would proceed. Earlier on Monday, Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, announced that the exercise had been suspended over persistent internal disputes and confirmed that Adeleke was no longer seeking the party’s ticket.
However, a separate communication reportedly issued by the PDP national secretariat insisted that the primary would hold as scheduled at the Atlantic Multipurpose Hall in Osogbo, exposing deep divisions between the party’s national and state structures.
Adeleke, in his resignation letter, thanked the party for the platform that enabled his rise from senator representing Osun West to governor of Osun State. He did not disclose his next political move, though his exit is expected to trigger major realignments ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
The PDP has been grappling with internal fractures since its defeat in the 2023 presidential election, with several state chapters battling factional supremacy struggles. Repeated attempts by the National Working Committee to stabilise party structures — including interventions in Rivers, Edo, and Lagos — have largely failed to halt widening cracks.
Adeleke’s departure adds to the list of high-profile defections in the South-West, following the exit of former Ekiti governorship aspirant Segun Oni in 2024 under similar circumstances.
The fate of Tuesday’s primary remains uncertain, as the PDP national leadership has yet to officially acknowledge Adeleke’s resignation or announce changes to the schedule. Party officials in Osun insist the exercise cannot proceed under what they describe as “untenable conditions.”
