Adeleke Still Listed on PDP Ballot as Osun Primary Begins

The Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in Osun State began on Tuesday in Osogbo with the name of Governor Ademola Adeleke still printed on the ballot, even though he had earlier announced that he was leaving the party. The voting started after 957 delegates completed their accreditation around late morning at the venue under tight security.

The secretary of the committee running the primary, Sunday Solarin, confirmed that two aspirants were on the ballot: Adeleke and Adebayo Adedamola. He told delegates that Adeleke had withdrawn his membership from the party and that any vote cast for him would not count toward the final outcome. Despite this, voting continued while officials supervised the process.

Officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission and a committee led by Humphrey Abba were seen at the venue before voting began. Security operatives from multiple agencies, including the DSS, the police, and the Civil Defence Corps, guarded the entrances and exits as delegates checked their names and moved into the voting area.

The primary had faced uncertainty following conflicting instructions from different PDP factions. One faction insisted the election would go ahead, while another claimed it had been moved. Even with the disagreement, delegates gathered in Osogbo to take part in the exercise.

Adeleke’s departure from the PDP was contained in a letter dated December 4, 2025, addressed to his ward chairman in Ede North. He said the internal crisis at the national level drove his decision to leave the party. His spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed that the governor was no longer a PDP member.

The PDP leadership in Osun State has said Adeleke may not be seeking the party’s ticket for the 2026 governorship race unless the disputes within the party are settled and accepted by INEC before the deadline for candidate submission. The chairman of the party in the state, Sunday Bisi, told reporters that the ongoing disagreements made it impossible to hold the primary on its original date.

According to the INEC timetable for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election, political parties must submit the names of their candidates by December 15. Voting in the primary was still in progress at the time of reporting.