Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State was, on Friday, absent at the South-West Caucus meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, fuelling rumours of a possible defection from the party.

The meeting, led by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo and other party stalwarts in the South-West, had deliberated extensively on a range of issues, mainly on the stability of the party in the wake of the coalition of the opposition figures adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC). 

The PDP caucus frowned at the coalition, noting that it was not part of it while urging its members to remain united and stand behind party leaders in the zone.

Mr Adeleke’s absence alongside the PDP members in Osun at the meeting again raised speculation over his potential defection from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after he met with President Bola Tinubu last month at his Ikoyi, Lagos, private residence. 

The governor’s visit to Mr Tinubu, with his nephew and popular music artiste David Adeleke (Davido), had raised suspicions within the PDP ranks that Mr Adeleke might be considering switching allegiance to the APC. 

Mr Adeleke could not be immediately reached for comments on Friday. His aide, Bankole Saraki, was also not available for comments when contacted by Peoples Gazette about the governor’s absence at the meeting.

However, a reliable source in the camp of the governor revealed that Mr Adeleke was already weighing the options after the advent of the ADC. 

“Yes, the governor did not attend the meeting, but I can’t actually confirm if it’s deliberate or not. But I know he’s now looking at different options before him with the adoption of the ADC by the opposition leaders in the country,” he said. 

Mr Adeleke ended the APC’s 12-year reign in Osun State after defeating former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in 2022 

The governor also delivered Osun for former vice president and PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 general election, assisting the party to win all three senatorial seats and gaining control of the State House of Assembly.