Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was conspicuously absent on Tuesday as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conducted its governorship primary election in Osogbo, where Adedamola Adebayo emerged as the party’s flagbearer for the 2026 gubernatorial contest.
Adebayo secured a resounding victory, polling 919 of the 957 accredited delegate votes. Announcing the result, Chairman of the PDP Primary Election Committee, Humphrey Abba, said:
“Void votes, 20. We told you earlier that one of the aspirants withdrew. The candidate that got the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes and stands elected and returned.”
Tension as Lawmakers Storm Venue, INEC Staff Assaulted
Shortly after voting ended, tensions escalated when the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, led several lawmakers to the venue. In a video obtained by Fresh Facts, the Speaker confronted individuals believed to be lingering election personnel. A heated exchange reportedly occurred between Egbedun and an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official, moments before a suspected political thug struck the official.
Another video showed a vehicle conveying several individuals being intercepted by an irate mob. The passengers—later identified as members of the Oyo State Park Management System (PMS)—were assaulted before being taken to the House of Assembly Police Post in Osogbo.
Speaking to journalists at the police post, one of the passengers, Wakili Aderemi, a 68-year-old driver from Ibadan, insisted they were not involved in the PDP primary.
“We came for a zonal meeting to elect our Oyo State NURTW chairman. Sixteen of us came from Oyo. We don’t know anything about a party primary. I am not a politician,” he said, recounting how the group had only stopped at a hotel bar before suddenly being attacked.
Speaker Accuses Makinde of Interference
Reacting to the incident, Speaker Egbedun accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of meddling in Osun PDP affairs.
“This is a message to Governor Seyi Makinde,” Egbedun said. “If he is desperate to become President in 2027, he should use another state as a tool, not Osun State. For a governor from another state to dictate to us—we won’t take that.”
He insisted that the alleged involvement of persons from Oyo State was unacceptable and warned that Osun PDP would resist further interference.
Adeleke’s Name Appears on Ballot Despite Resignation
Despite announcing his resignation from the PDP earlier on Tuesday, Governor Adeleke’s name remained on the ballot. Before voting commenced, Secretary of the Primary Committee, Sunday Solarin, clarified that Adeleke had formally withdrawn, but the ballot could not be updated.
“Votes for Adeleke would eventually amount to waste,” he said.
Adeleke’s resignation, contained in a letter addressed to his ward chairman in Ede North and dated December 4, 2025, cited the crisis within the PDP national leadership as his reason for leaving the party.
“Due to the current crisis within the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, I hereby resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect,” the letter read.
His spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed the governor’s departure but hinted that Adeleke might reconsider if ongoing disputes within the party are resolved promptly. The Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, also expressed hope that reconciliation was still possible within the timeframe allowed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Primary Conducted Under Tight Security and Factional Tensions
The primary exercise was heavily guarded by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Security personnel were stationed at all access points to forestall disruptions.
The political atmosphere leading to the primary was charged with confusion as two factional PDP National Organising Secretaries—Theophilus Shan and Umar Bature—issued conflicting directives regarding whether the primary should hold or be postponed.
INEC has set December 15 as the deadline for political parties to submit their candidates for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election. With Adebayo now elected as PDP’s candidate, the party faces the task of navigating internal divisions in the critical months ahead.
