Internal strife gripping Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown preparations for the 2026 Osun state governorship election into disarray, with party leaders revealing that incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke may abandon his bid for the nomination amid escalating factional battles.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday, Osun PDP chairman Sunday Bisi announced the indefinite postponement of the party’s scheduled December 2 primary, blaming a cascade of suspensions and counter-suspensions at the national level that derailed mandatory ward and local government congresses last week.
Adeleke, who purchased and submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms between October 13 and 25 — followed by a successful screening on October 30 without hitches — now faces an uncertain path forward as the party’s turmoil deepens.
“However, because of the internal crisis rocking the national leadership of our party, the information at my disposal is that Governor Ademola Adeleke may no longer be interested in seeking the nomination of the PDP for the 2026 Osun Gubernatorial Election, except a resolution recognised by INEC is reached within the INEC timeline,” Bisi stated, underscoring the governor’s frustration with the chaos.
The crisis, Bisi explained, intensified after the pre-primary processes concluded, creating “a level of uncertainty that directly impacted the planned schedule.” He detailed how “the suspension and counter-suspension of key national officers” led to the collapse of delegate elections at the grassroots level, rendering the primary “inevitable, indeed unavoidable” to cancel.
With Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requiring candidate submissions by December 15 for the August 2026 poll, Bisi warned that only a swift, court-validated truce could salvage the process. The disputes are already before multiple courts, polarizing the PDP into rival camps and threatening its competitiveness in the southwest state.
Adeleke, elected in 2022 on the PDP ticket after a protracted legal fight, has prioritised infrastructure and youth empowerment in Osun, but sources close to him suggest the governor is weighing alternatives, including an independent run or alliance shifts, should the party fail to stabilise.
