Former Osun Deputy Governor Senator Iyiola Omisore has labelled Governor Ademola Adeleke a “political orphan.”
He spoke during a Wednesday appearance on Channels TV.
Omisore addressed persistent speculation that Governor Adeleke is considering defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Omisore stated that Adeleke, who secured his governorship slot on the PDP platform, is now actively seeking membership with the APC.
He further alleged that the Governor has been “begging” prominent APC figures, including a southern Governor, to facilitate his entry into the party.
“I’m not aware but the point is that when you want to come to a party, there must be a willing section of the party members. You must come to the home because politics is very local.
“What are they bringing to the party? In the 2022 election, APC garnered 375,000 votes, PDP had 403,000 votes, and the difference between them was 3.97 percent.
“This 3.97 percent includes those that worked against the party, like former Governor Aregbesola (ADC), and other leaders of PDP who have all moved to APC now.
“For the past three years, he has been governing that state, with no single person decamping from APC to PDP.
“Meanwhile, one over seventh of PDP members have moved to APC, which you know, of course, Alhaji Isa Oyedokun, Dayo Babayemi, Hon. Wole Oke and others are still coming.
“I’ve not seen a situation where a state Governor is struggling to enter another party. One, the PDP is no longer popular in Osun; half of its members have defected.
“The Aregbesola faction has now moved to ADC. So, he (Adeleke) is now a (political) orphan. If they are coming to the APC, they should come home and talk to us.
“Why do you want to force yourself on the party? Why is the governor begging to enter the party? He is struggling, begging and fighting to join APC.”