“He’s a Liability to Our Party” – APC Denies Pressuring Governor Adeleke to Join Party

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has rejected allegations that the Presidency mounted pressure on Governor Ademola Adeleke to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party for the ruling party.

The party said the claim, made by former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was false and misleading.

Oyinlola had spoken during a televised interview where he suggested that Adeleke was emotionally distressed over pressure to defect.

In a statement issued in Osogbo on Thursday, APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi insisted that there was no such move from the party or the Presidency. He said the narrative being promoted does not match events on the ground.

According to the APC, it was Governor Ademola Adeleke who explored the possibility of joining the party but was not welcomed.

The party maintained that its leadership in Osun shut the door against any such move.

Olabisi explained that Adeleke’s name had been linked to several political figures in an attempt to create the impression that powerful forces were pushing him into the APC. He described the claim as exaggerated and unfounded.

The APC further challenged the governor to publicly identify those allegedly applying pressure on him. The party said no governor anywhere in the country had been forced to defect and that the story was invented to divert attention from the internal crisis in the PDP.

The party also distanced itself from the growing troubles within the opposition in Osun and at the national level. It said the PDP’s problems were self-inflicted and should not be blamed on the APC.

Addressing reports of months of speculation about Adeleke’s defection, the APC stated that such rumours only gained ground before the release of the Independent National Electoral Commission timetable for the 2026 governorship election. The governor’s media aide had consistently denied the talks at the time.

The APC added that accepting Adeleke would have weakened the party’s standing in the state. It said he would have been “a liability” and could damage the party’s image and cohesion ahead of the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, the Osun PDP said the people of the state would ultimately determine the political future of the governor in 2026. Party leaders also accused the opposition of planning to manipulate the election through questionable means.

In a response to the APC’s statement, Osun PDP chairman Sunday Bisi said the party remained committed to serving residents and would not be distracted by what he described as propaganda from the opposition.

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