The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ini Ememobong, has attributed the defection of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to internal problems the party allowed to escalate, describing the governor as “a victim of circumstance.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Ememobong said Adeleke’s departure was the direct consequence of unresolved disputes that the PDP leadership failed to address early enough.
He stressed that the situation was “vicarious because every problem is human-caused and therefore should have a human solution.”
He argued that firm intervention by party leaders could have prevented the breakdown that pushed Adeleke out of the PDP.
“At the level of leadership to which he belonged in the party, the party ought to have acted decisively,” he said.
Warning that unattended issues only worsen over time, he described the party’s internal crisis as self-inflicted.
“The challenge is that immediately we begin to feed the monster without knowing we will end up in the belly of the monster, after a while, we become victims,” he said.
“If we feed animals to the monster, and we think time will solve problems, time allows human beings to solve problems. It doesn’t solve problems on its own.”
Ememobong said the PDP should have taken “strong action” in 2023 when the first signs of trouble appeared. However, he noted that the party’s leaders chose negotiation instead, hoping dialogue would ease tensions.
“You also cannot fully blame them,” he said, “because sometimes they think that with negotiations, when passions are calm, people could reconsider their position, but unfortunately, it didn’t.”
He linked the eventual fallout to the controversial party convention in Ibadan, which witnessed large-scale expulsions, the emergence of new national officers and heightened internal conflict.
According to him, Adeleke’s defection stemmed from “circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities which he cannot completely extricate himself from,” reflecting deeper structural failures that had long gone unresolved.
Recall that Governor Adeleke formally resigned from the PDP, the party under which he became senator and later governor. His resignation was announced in a post on his official X handle late on December 2, accompanied by a letter dated November 4, 2025.
The letter, addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde in Ede North Local Government Area, attributed his withdrawal to the party’s leadership turmoil.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party with immediate effect,” he wrote.
Adeleke’s departure was followed by his announcement that he had joined the Accord Party as his new political platform ahead of the 2026 governorship election. He revealed in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday that he had registered with the party on November 6, 2025, after extensive consultations with stakeholders and opinion leaders.
He said the Accord Party’s values aligned with his own priorities for Osun residents.
“Stakeholders and residents of Osun State are aware of why we are taking this important decision. We intend to pursue a second term in office on the platform of the Accord Party to complete ongoing delivery of good governance and democratic dividends, which have been applauded at home and abroad.
“We opted for the Accord Party because its mission of welfarism aligns with our passionate focus on citizens’ and workers’ welfare. Since I joined, I have been fascinated by the philosophy of this great party. The primary essence of a government is the welfare and well-being of the people,” he said.
