Osun 2026: PDP suspends primaries, says Adeleke may dump party

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced the suspension of its December 2 governorship primary election, citing the ongoing crisis within the party’s national leadership.

The Osun PDP also warned that Governor Ademola Adeleke may withdraw from seeking the party’s ticket for the 2026 governorship election unless the crisis is resolved in a manner recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and within its statutory deadlines.

The party’s chairman in Osun State, Sunday Bisi, made this known while speaking at a press briefing in Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday, December 1, 2025.

Bisi said the leadership tussle at the national level — marked by suspensions and counter-suspensions of key officials — has disrupted processes essential to conducting valid primaries, including organising congresses and transmitting candidate lists to INEC.

“These uncertainties make it impossible to proceed with the primary,” Bisi said.

He added that although Adeleke remains the only aspirant to have purchased forms, submitted documents, and been cleared by the screening committee, the governor may reconsider his candidacy unless the crisis is resolved in a manner acknowledged by INEC and within its stipulated timelines.

Adeleke imposes 24-hour curfew on Osun community

Bisi noted that the leadership impasse had already prevented the party from holding its ward congresses on November 24 and local government congresses on November 29 — key steps in selecting delegates for the primary.

Many of the disputes, the Osun PDP chairman said, are now the subject of ongoing court cases nationwide.

He stressed that Adeleke fulfilled all conditions set out in the PDP’s schedule, including purchasing nomination forms between October 13 and 25, and appearing before the screening panel on October 30, after which he was issued a clearance certificate.

Bisi emphasised that only the national secretariat has the authority to conduct primaries, adding that operations will resume once the party’s leadership issues are resolved.

The Star