Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) less than 24 hours before the party’s governorship primary, deepening the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party.
Adeleke’s resignation letter, dated 4 November and addressed to the PDP chairman of Sagba Ward 2 in Ede, surfaced on Monday evening.
In the letter, the governor cited what he described as an unresolved crisis of the national leadership of the PDP as the reason for his sudden exit.
The letter, titled: “Resignation of my membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’ read, “Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my Membership of the People’s Democratic Party with immediate effect.
The development followed conflicting signals from the party’s leadership over whether the primary election would proceed on Tuesday.
Earlier on Monday, the Osun State PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, announced that the exercise had been suspended due to persistent factional disputes.
Bisi also disclosed that Adeleke was no longer seeking the party’s nomination, attributing the governor’s withdrawal to the worsening internal conflict.
However, a separate letter reportedly issued from the PDP national secretariat insisted that the primary would go ahead as scheduled at the Atlantic Multipurpose Hall in Osogbo, further exposing the divisions between the state and national organs of the party.
Adeleke, in his resignation letter, thanked the PDP for providing the platform through which he was elected senator for Osun West and governor of the state.
He offered no further details on his next political move, though his exit is expected to trigger realignments across Osun’s political landscape.
“I thank the People’s Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Represented Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the People’s Democratic Party.”he said.
The PDP has been grappling with internal disputes nationally since its loss in the 2023 presidential election, with several state chapters facing factional battles over control of party structures.
In September, the party’s National Working Committee was forced to intervene in parallel congresses in Rivers, Edo and Lagos, pledging reforms to stabilise internal administration — efforts that appear to have fallen short in Osun.
Adeleke’s departure adds to a growing list of high-profile defections from the PDP in the South-West. In 2024, former Ekiti governorship aspirant Segun Oni left the party citing similar grievances, while analysts noted deepening divisions between long-standing PDP blocs and newer factions aligned with state governors.
The immediate implications for Tuesday’s primary remain unclear, as the national secretariat has not formally acknowledged the governor’s resignation or announced any changes to the schedule.
Party officials at the state level insist the primary cannot hold under what they described as untenable conditions.
