Osogbo, July 9, 2025 —
A political advocacy group based in Osun State, the Osun Democrats for Democracy (ODD), has called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to formally join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a move it describes as critical to ensuring continued development in Osun State and consolidating national support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
n a press statement issued Tuesday evening in Osogbo and signed by the group’s Director of Publicity, Comrade Adeoye Fasipe, the ODD urged Governor Adeleke, currently of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to consider the broader political landscape and make what the group termed “a patriotic and sacrificial decision” to defect to the ruling APC.
According to the group, national and state-level political dynamics are rapidly shifting in favour of political realignments, necessitating unusual alliances for the collective interest of Osun State, the Yoruba nation, and the Southern presidency.
“In view of compelling reasons—chief among them being the need to support President Tinubu against a coordinated national gang-up, the internal uncertainties within the PDP, and the need to ensure continuity of good governance in Osun beyond 2026—we respectfully call on Governor Ademola Adeleke to join the APC,” the statement read.
The group acknowledged the significance and political cost of such a defection, describing it as “the highest level of sacrifice,” but emphasized that Nigeria’s current political climate requires unity, particularly among Yoruba leaders, to protect regional and national interests.
The ODD pointed to deepening factional crises within the PDP as a cause for concern, warning that the party may face serious obstacles in its nomination process for upcoming 2026 and 2027 elections. It also dismissed the idea of an opposition coalition, citing legal entanglements facing parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the moral imperative for Yoruba leaders not to align with movements aiming to unseat a Yoruba president.
“No Yoruba Governor should belong to an alliance dedicated to removing a Yoruba President from office. We cannot work against a Yoruba man to favour a Hausa/Fulani man as a replacement,” the group asserted.
The statement further appealed to both the national leadership of the APC and President Tinubu to recognise the political capital Governor Adeleke would bring to the party, urging that any potential defection be met with “full presidential leverage” and support.
The ODD also advised the Osun APC to be prepared for a new era of collaboration, noting that former political rivals may have to become allies in the interest of regional stability and national progress.
“If Osun APC has the interest of President Tinubu at heart, they must accept that a defection by Governor Adeleke is the biggest light in the re-election bid of President Tinubu,” the statement emphasized.
In closing, the group called on the leadership of the Osun State chapter of the PDP to accept such a move in good faith, framing the proposed defection as one made not out of betrayal, but in service to the state, the region, and the nation.
