Adeleke not defecting to APC — Osun govt

Osun State Executive Council members on Monday dismissed rumours that the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is planning to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing those behind the claims as purveyors of fake news.

The forum urged members of the public to disregard the rumour, stating, “That is a rumour from the pit of hell. The governor (Ademola Adeleke) is a PDP governor and he is doing very well.”

“He is not moving to any political party. He will not move. We are members of the executive council and we are close to him. He is going to continue his developmental strides in PDP,” Babatunde explained.

The commissioners and special advisers, comprising the state executive members, expressed their total solidarity and unwavering support for the Governor of Osun State and leader of the state PDP, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.

In a press conference addressed on their behalf by the Secretary of the forum, Barrister Dosu Babatunde, they further maintained their readiness to stand solidly like a rock of Gibraltar behind Governor Adeleke in his quest to take Osun to greater heights.

While pledging their unalloyed loyalty to the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the leadership of Hon. Sunday Bisi, the Osun Executive members emphasised that no amount of political shenanigans by opposition party members would derail the governor’s good intentions for the people, as exemplified by Senator Adeleke.

The message of solidarity issued and sent to the Governor of Osun State, His Excellency Senator Ademola Adeleke, by all the members of the Executive Council reads in part:

“Your Excellency, Mr Governor, we are using this opportunity to further affirm and reaffirm our love and unshakable solidarity to you and your administration in Osun State.

“We read and heard with great consternation the many insinuations being mischievously bandied about in certain political quarters, particularly the opposition parties, about the looming mass defection of the Executive Council members from the ruling PDP to another political party.

“This is not only a political fallacy taken to the extreme but a careless and unguarded insinuation by the usual disgruntled members of the opposition party in the state.

“To this end, we are using this opportunity to state and reaffirm, again and again, that no amount of political gerrymandering as currently hatched by the opposition party members in the state will make us party to destroying a house (PDP) which we fought tooth and nail to build.

“Come 2026, the entire people of Osun State will reenact the feat of getting Your Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke, returned as Governor of our dear state,” ended the press statement.

Those who addressed the press conference included Abdul Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa, Commissioner for Rural Development; Adekunle Akindele, Special Adviser on Public Health; B.T. Salami, Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration; Kolapo Alimi, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment; Oluwole Jimi Bada, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; Biyi Odunlade, Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations; Jola Akintola, Commissioner for Health; Ibitoye Alabi, Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning; Sesan Oyedele, Commissioner for Transport.

Others are Bunmi Jenyo, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry; Olagunju Olalekan, Commissioner for Youth Affairs; Abiodun Ojo, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism; Aderibigbe Kayode Rasheed, Commissioner for Home Affairs; Dosu Babatunde, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Festus Adeyemo, Commissioner for Energy; Moruf Ayofe, Commissioner for Innovation, Science, Technology and Digital Economy; Adenike Adeleke, Commissioner for Federal Affairs; Sunday Oroniyi, Commissioner for Water Resources; Soji Ajeigbe, Commissioner for Government House Affairs and Protocol; Ayobola Awolowo, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare; Olusola Ogungbile, Commissioner for Finance; Tola Faseru, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security; and Ademola Adeleke, Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development.

Also included were Sunday Dipo Oluwole, Commissioner for Education; Mayowa Adejoorin, Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation; Adebayo Ogungbangbe, Commissioner for Co-operatives and Empowerment; Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson and Special Adviser to the Governor on Media; Eniola Fakeye, Special Adviser on OSEMA/Federal Capital Territory; Bamikole Omisore, Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals; Ropo Oyewole, Special Adviser on Legislative Matters; Azeez Badmus, Special Adviser on ICT; Mojisola Omisore, Special Adviser on RAAMP; S.O. Ojo, Special Adviser on Security Matters; Ajisafe Toyese, Special Adviser on Tax Matters; and Yakubu Adejare, Special Adviser on Transportation.

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