Lawmakers elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, in southwestern Nigeria, have endorsed Governor Ademola Adeleke for a second term, even though he is seeking re-election on the Accord Party platform.
The endorsement was announced ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2026. The decision was contained in a communiqué issued after a stakeholders’ meeting held in Osogbo, the state capital, on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
The communiqué was read by Senator Lere Oyewumi, the Deputy Senate Minority Leader in Nigeria’s Senate, which is part of the country’s National Assembly, the federal legislature. The lawmakers said their decision was based on Adeleke’s performance in infrastructure development, workers’ welfare, healthcare, education, and what they described as democratic stability.
“Having reviewed the performance of the governor in infrastructure development, workers’ welfare, healthcare, education, and democratic stability, we unanimously endorse and give our total support to His Excellency, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, for a second term in office in the interest of continuity, stability, and sustained progress for Osun State,” the communiqué said.
The lawmakers also referenced Adeleke’s decision to leave the PDP for the Accord Party on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, to seek re-election. However, they said political realignments in the state do not reduce the strength of the governor’s support base or the PDP’s organisation in Osun State.
“The party remains united and firmly established at the National Assembly caucus level, State Assembly level, Executive Council, local governments, wards, and grassroots structures across the state,” the communiqué said.
In addition, the lawmakers said they passed a vote of confidence in the Osun State PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, the State Working Committee, and the party leadership across the state’s 30 local government and area offices, as well as its 332 wards.
“We say unequivocally that they remain the executives of the party in Osun State. “Any individual or group parading themselves as alternative leadership does not have the backing of the duly elected National and State Assembly caucus of the party in Osun State and should not be accorded legitimacy,” the communiqué said.
The communiqué also appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s head of state and government, to intervene in the local government crisis in Osun State. The lawmakers said local government allocations due to the state had continued to be withheld, and they argued that this had created hardship for teachers, nurses, healthcare workers, local government civil servants, retirees, and traditional institutions in communities.
“We call on His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to give a directive to the illegal occupants to vacate immediately to avert crises. “PDP as a party and the government in the state are law-abiding, and that is why we have chosen the path of peace and the path of law, not to throw the state into crisis,” it said.
The lawmakers called on residents of Osun State to remain peaceful, law-abiding, and committed to defending democracy and good governance.
The political tensions come as party loyalties shift in the state. On Saturday, February 14, 2026, five members of the National Assembly elected under the PDP in Osun State officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that governs Nigeria at the federal level.