Adeleke Still On PDP Ballot As Osun Primary Opens

The Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in Osun State began on Tuesday with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s name still on the ballot, even though he had earlier announced his resignation from the party.

A total of 957 delegates gathered in Osogbo to choose the party’s flagbearer for the 2026 election.

The committee overseeing the exercise confirmed that only two aspirants—Adeleke and Adebayo Adedamola—were listed for the contest. The committee’s secretary, Sunday Solarin, explained before voting commenced that any votes cast for Adeleke would not count, since he had formally left the PDP. He asked delegates to be mindful of this while voting.

Voting started shortly after delegate accreditation ended around 11:35 a.m. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were present, alongside a committee from the PDP national headquarters. Security was tight at the venue, with operatives from the DSS, police, and NSCDC stationed at the entrances.

The primary took off amid internal party confusion. While one faction of the PDP’s national leadership insisted the primary should proceed, another faction claimed it had been postponed. Despite the disagreement, the committee chair opened the process at 11:07 a.m., allowing delegates to check in and begin voting.

Adeleke’s resignation letter, dated December 4, 2025, cited unresolved national leadership problems as his reason for leaving the PDP. His spokesperson later confirmed he had quit, and state party leaders said he might no longer be seeking the PDP ticket for the upcoming election unless the crises in the party are resolved before the nomination deadline.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable, political parties have until December 15 to submit the names of their governorship candidates for the August 8, 2026 Osun election.