PDP chieftain Umar Sani has shed light on why Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke did not participate in the party’s recent primary election.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, Sani claimed that Adeleke believed internal disputes within the PDP could prevent the party from producing a validly recognised candidate. According to him, the governor allegedly planned to temporarily defect to another party to secure a ticket and later return to the PDP.

Sani, who chaired the three-man ad hoc delegates committee for Osun, explained that the delegate election in Osogbo was conducted peacefully under his supervision. He added that the results were uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal and officially acknowledged.

He emphasised that the PDP rejected any strategy of circumventing the party platform, insisting that all aspirants must contest under the PDP to preserve the party’s integrity.

“Let me clarify,” Sani said, “I personally supervised the three-man delegate election in Osogbo. The process was peaceful, transparent, and the results were uploaded to INEC and officially recognised.

“What happened is that Governor Adeleke does not want the PDP to field a candidate. He believes there are internal issues over whose signature will be recognised by INEC, so he intends to move to another party, secure the seat, and later return to PDP.

“The PDP says no. Anyone who wants to contest must use our platform. This ensures fairness and prevents others from exploiting loopholes to bypass the party. The primary was conducted openly, peacefully, and the results were publicly announced.”