Some members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have alleged Governor Ademola Adeleke and his sister, Yeye Dupe Adeleke-Sanni of imposing the candidates of the PDP that will contest next year’s local government election in the state.
The allegations were made in video clips and WhatsApp voice notes circulated online which was sighted by OSUN DEFENDER.
They also advised the governor to caution his sister and party leaders from such an arrangement.
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that the alleged imposition is to favour some former caretaker chairmen who resigned in July, following the Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy.
It was also gathered that some PDP members are disenchanted with the ex-council bosses whom they accused of not taking care of their party during their over one-year tenure.
A member of the party in Osogbo, Idowu Ibrahim, in an open letter to the state governor, said imposing the former caretaker chairmen would backfire.
He said the move was undemocratic and could undermine the legitimacy of the election, disenfranchise the people, and perpetuate a culture of impunity.
The letter read in part, “Following the recent leaked information that the leadership of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State is nursing sympathy for the former Caretaker Management Committee members across the State; I am writing to express my deep concern on behalf of party members across the length and breadth of Osun State about the implications of imposing candidates on the people in the scheduled local government elections.
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“This undemocratic practice threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the election, disenfranchise the people, and perpetuate a culture of impunity.
“It is very funny and unfortunate that PDP leadership in Osun State has quickly forgotten that most Caretaker Management Committee Members across all local government in Osun State were selected based on reward for loyalty and specific settlements without considering their respective competence, capacity, and acceptability to the majority of people in their respective communities.
“The current indications through the body language of political stakeholders in our ruling party has revealed that our party leadership has predetermined strategies in collaboration with Your Excellency that almost all Caretaker Management Committee members (especially all immediate former Caretakers Chairmen in Osun State) should all be returned as standard bearer during the scheduled local government election in Osun State.
“This has been revealed through the perceived situation in Ife East, Ejigbo, Orolu, Irepodun, Osogbo, Ifelodun, and Ayedaade among others. These can be summarily described as political self suicidal at a time when the 2026 Governorship election is fast approaching.
“The worst is that the time is not there for your good self to access the real situation on ground! It is factual that tactical imposition of candidates denies the people their fundamental right to choose their representatives, undermines accountability, and perpetuates poor governance. It also reinforces the perception that the ruling party is more interested in maintaining its grip on power than in serving the people.
“Furthermore, this practice can lead to voter apathy and low turnout during the scheduled local government election, legitimacy crisis for the elected officials arising from the current high-handedness of party leadership, poor representation, and unresponsive governance, perpetuation of corruption and impunity, and undermining of democratic institutions and processes.”
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A chieftain of the PDP in Boripe local government area of the state, Alhaja Falilat Oyetunji popularly known as Ero Arike yesterday threatened to leave the party.
In a live video on her Facebook page sighted by OSUN DEFENDER, Alhaja Falilat alleged the leadership of the party of rigging her husband, Alhaji Akeem Oyetunji, out of the primary election process for the forthcoming local government election.
She affirmed that she had left the party, accusing the PDP leaders of disallowing her husband the opportunity to become the chairmanship candidate of the party, after she worked so hard for Governor Adeleke to emerge in 2022.
“I call on the good people of Osun State to please help me out. I have left your party. You are the ones that chased me out of the party. Thank you, that is how you should repay me for my efforts.
“God, they must not cheat my husband out. This is a robbery. The people should help me. They asked me to work for them and I delivered. All the people in Iragbiji are behind me. Everyone should help me. I have left their party. You must find a solution to it.
“Everyone knows me as an ointment seller but I cannot close to my eyes to my husband’s ambition. I am here to support my husband. I take care of people and contribute massively to my party with everything I have. The people promised to stand by me and support my husband with votes.
“The people of Osun State should come to my aid. They want to cheat my husband,” she noted.
The development among other issues OSUN DEFENDER learnt informed the convoking of a stakeholders’ meeting by the leadership of the PDP in the state at the Government House, Osogbo, on Tuesday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke in his remarks at the meeting appealed to members of the party to remain united.
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Adeleke noted that the forthcoming council elections is key to the fortunes of the party in the 2026 gubernatorial election, stressing that further division will give the opposition a chance to defeat the PDP.
His words, “My only appeal to us is that we must remain united. We should never allow our issues to degenerate. We must remain one united family.
“We all know that this local government election is key for our 2026 governorship election. We must not allow personal interest to supersede the general interest of the party.
“I task us to remember that we have a wounded opposition that is desperately seeking to destroy the state. We should not give them ammunition to use against us.
“We must ensure party discipline. We must abide by the decisions of the party leadership. That is the way to strengthen the party and enhance our chance to win elections”, the Governor added.
The state chairman of the party, Hon. Sunday Bisi also assured that it will provide a level playing ground for all aspirants in the forthcoming council primaries of the party.
He added that the party will allow all aspirants to go to the field without interference in the emergence of candidates for the election.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
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