Fresh tensions have erupted within the Osun chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the state chairman, Sunday Bisi, dismissed claims of his removal and insisted he remains the duly elected leader of the party in the state.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, Bisi described the move by a stakeholders’ forum to announce his removal as unconstitutional and lacking any legal basis. According to him, only the party’s properly constituted organs have the authority to take decisions affecting elected officials.
He maintained that his tenure remains valid, stressing that the forum had no mandate to tamper with the party’s leadership structure. The chairman also disclosed that the PDP has not presented a candidate for the forthcoming August governorship election, noting that the party had instead endorsed Governor Ademola Adeleke for a second term.
Bisi said most elected officials in the state remain members of the PDP, apart from the governor and deputy governor. He reaffirmed that the mainstream leadership of the party stands firmly behind the governor’s re-election bid.
In a sharp reaction to comments attributed to former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Bisi described the remarks as a betrayal and a continuation of what he termed a failed plot to stop Adeleke in 2022. He argued that internal divisions within the PDP’s national leadership had created uncertainties around the governor’s political future, prompting strategic decisions aimed at safeguarding his re-election chances.
The chairman insisted that the core leadership and membership base of the party in Osun remains aligned with the current state executive and its decisions.
Meanwhile, at a separate stakeholders’ meeting, Oyinlola maintained that the PDP remains a viable political force in Osun despite reports that Adeleke had defected to the Accord Party. He said the meeting was convened to clarify the party’s position amid what he described as confusing narratives about its status in the state.
Oyinlola rejected suggestions that the PDP structure had collapsed into the Accord Party to facilitate Adeleke’s re-election, insisting that the party remains strong and firmly rooted across the country. He added that the PDP remains open to future developments, expressing hope that the governor could return to the party.
