The APC Solidarity Group in Osun State has issued a strong warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged ongoing moves to facilitate the defection of Governor Ademola Adeleke and his family into the ruling party.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, the group described the move as a “Trojan horse” that would destabilise the APC both in Osun and nationally if allowed to happen.
The group alleged that covert negotiations are ongoing between Dr. Deji Adeleke—elder brother of Governor Adeleke—and some forces within the APC with the aim of brokering the family’s entry into the party in exchange for delivering Osun State in the 2027 general elections.
“This overture is not only insulting to the intelligence of APC loyalists across Osun, it is a veiled attempt to hijack the party machinery and implant a political dynasty that has serially demonstrated an appetite for self-interest, betrayal, and financial exploitation of state resources,” the group said.
They recalled the 2017 Osun West Senatorial bye-election where Senator Adeleke defected from APC to PDP just days before the election, only to win and later lament unmet promises from the PDP, according to his brother Dr. Deji Adeleke. The group insisted that the Adelekes have no history of political loyalty or ideological commitment.
Raising further concerns, the group accused the Adeleke administration of massive corruption and nepotism, citing alleged contract racketeering and the monopolisation of governance by family members, including Governor Adeleke’s sister, Chief Mrs. Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, and son, popular artist David “Davido” Adeleke.
“Infrastructure contracts worth nearly ₦50 billion have allegedly been awarded to fronts of the Adeleke family, violating procurement laws. Borehole projects that cost less than ₦2 million in the past are now reportedly awarded for over ₦14 million,” the statement alleged.
The group noted that admitting the Adeleke family into the APC could exacerbate existing tensions within the party, especially between loyalists of former governors Gboyega Oyetola and Rauf Aregbesola.
“Introducing the Adeleke family into this volatile mix would tip the balance and potentially hand Aregbesola and his proxies a strategic opening to seize control of the party’s machinery in Osun,” the group warned.
Referencing previous elections, the statement argued that the APC does not need the Adeleke family to win elections in the state, pointing to the 2019 and 2023 victories in the face of PDP opposition.
“This party structure is resilient. In 2023, APC won two out of three senatorial seats in Osun despite Governor Adeleke’s incumbency. We do not need defectors who bring more chaos than competence,” it said.
The group also invoked the fallout between the Adelekes and Senator Iyiola Omisore during the PDP’s internal crisis as further evidence of the family’s unreliability.
The statement concluded with a call on President Tinubu to resist pressures to welcome the Adelekes into the party, insisting that any such move would be “vehemently resisted” and could have national consequences.
“Any attempt to accommodate the Adeleke political dynasty in our party will be vehemently resisted, and the consequences will not only be internal but national. The President must not reward betrayal with patronage,” the group declared.
