Osun Central: Adekunle Rejects Fadeyi’s PDP Ticket Claim, Threatens Legal Action

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial aspirant in Osun State, Ibraheem Adekunle, has insisted that he remains the party’s valid candidate for the Osun Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election.

NEWSNGR reports that Adekunle spoke in Osogbo on Friday while reacting to claims by Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi that he had emerged as the PDP candidate for the district following his return to the opposition party.

Fadeyi had earlier announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and return to the PDP, where he claimed to have secured the Osun Central senatorial ticket under a faction of the party.

But Adekunle rejected the claim and warned against any attempt to replace his name on the list of candidates already submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said he would challenge any such action in court, maintaining that he emerged through a properly conducted PDP primary and remained the party’s duly nominated candidate.

Adekunle argued that the timeline of Fadeyi’s political activities raised questions about his membership of the PDP and his eligibility to lay claim to the ticket.

According to him, although Fadeyi was said to have obtained a waiver from the PDP on May 8, 2026, records showed that he still participated in the APC senatorial primary 10 days later.

“It has been claimed that Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi obtained a waiver from the PDP on May 8, 2026. However, available records indicate that he subsequently participated in the APC senatorial primary election held on May 18, 2026, for the same office.

“This raises a fundamental question: if he had already become a PDP member through the alleged waiver on May 8, under what legal or constitutional basis did he purchase APC nomination forms, submit APC nomination documents, undergo APC screening, campaign as an APC aspirant and eventually participate in the APC primary election 10 days later?

“Political party membership cannot exist in two parties at the same time. These are issues that require clear legal explanation,” he said.

Adekunle said the sequence of events should be properly explained before any attempt was made to recognise Fadeyi as the party’s candidate.

‘PDP Had Concluded Nomination Process’

Adekunle further maintained that by the time Fadeyi participated in the APC primary, the PDP had already completed its nomination process for the Osun Central seat.

He said the process included the sale of nomination forms, screening of aspirants, conduct of the senatorial primary, declaration of a winner and submission of the successful candidate’s details to INEC.

Adekunle said he was the sole aspirant who took part in the PDP primary, insisting that the exercise was conducted in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

He added that his name was subsequently forwarded to INEC and uploaded on the electoral commission’s nomination portal.

“My name was duly submitted by the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the primary election and was subsequently uploaded on the Commission’s nomination portal in accordance with the law.

“I therefore remain the authentic and validly nominated PDP candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District,” he said.

The PDP politician consequently warned against any move to substitute his name with that of another aspirant.

He maintained that his nomination followed the required party and electoral procedures and said he was prepared to seek judicial intervention should his candidacy be tampered with.