BREAKING: PDP Endorses Adeleke Hours to Osun Governorship Election

The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, of the Accord Party, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The party announced its decision on Thursday, August 14, 2026, just hours after the Court of Appeal affirmed the nomination of the faction’s candidate, Adebayo Adedamola, for the election.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, disclosed the decision in a statement issued in Abuja.

According to Ememobong, the party’s legal team informed the Interim National Working Committee that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had upheld Adedamola’s nomination as submitted by the Turaki-led faction.

He said the appellate court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately include the PDP logo on the ballot papers for Saturday’s election.

Ememobong said the court held that the PDP had conducted its primary election, which was monitored by INEC, and had subsequently forwarded the name of the winner to the electoral commission.

He explained that the court also ruled that the access code required for uploading candidates on INEC’s portal was merely an administrative requirement and could not override the statutory process of submitting the candidate’s name to the commission.

The PDP spokesperson, however, criticised INEC’s handling of the matter, alleging that the electoral commission had refused to recognise the Turaki-led faction’s candidate despite monitoring the party’s primary.

He said the party’s primary was peaceful, transparent and uncontested, adding that the faction was forced to seek legal redress after INEC allegedly withheld the codes required to upload its candidate.

Although he welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision, Ememobong said the judgment came too late to allow Adedamola to properly campaign ahead of the election.

He described the situation as an unnecessary setback that could have been avoided if INEC had acted differently.

“Faced with the unimaginable difficulty that the situation put on PDP, the INWC chose to throw its weight behind the Accord Party candidature, Gov. Ademola Adeleke,” Ememobong said.

He added that the decision followed consultations with key stakeholders and was taken in the interest of strengthening the opposition and protecting multiparty democracy.

“As a true opposition party and in defence of multi-party democracy, and after exhaustive consultations with key stakeholders, the committee has decided to support the candidature of Gov. Adeleke of Accord Party for Saturday’s governorship election,” he said.

The PDP faction subsequently directed its members across Osun State to vote for Adeleke in the election.

“We therefore ask all our members to vote for Gov. Adeleke,” Ememobong stated, while urging party supporters to turn out, protect their votes and ensure that their ballots count.

The PDP also called on voters and political actors to reject violence and the “do-or-die” approach to elections.

Ememobong said elections should reflect the freely expressed wishes of the electorate, warning that any attempt to subvert the people’s choice would amount to electoral robbery.

The endorsement comes as political parties and candidates intensify efforts to mobilise voters ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.