Osun Renewal Group Denounces Governor Adeleke’s Frivolous Lawsuits Targeting Defecting National Assembly Members

 

The Osun Renewal Group

(ORG) has blasted Governor Ademola Adeleke’s unpolitical and hypocritical court action against defecting National Assembly members.

In a strong-worded statement, the group’s spokesperson, Yale Oyerinde, said:

"The Osun Renewal Group (ORG) has watched with utter disbelief and rising indignation the recent attempt by Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to drag five distinguished National Assembly members into court for exercising their constitutional right to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This desperate, unpolitical, and hypocritical move is nothing but a reckless abuse of power, a misuse of the courts, and a clear demonstration of the Governor’s poor grasp of democracy, constitutional law, and leadership."

The lawmakers in question are:

Sen. Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi: Osun East Senatorial District

Sen. Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi: Osun Central Senatorial District

Hon. Emmanuel Olusanya Omorin:  Atakunmosa East/West & Ilesa East/West Federal Constituency

Hon. Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro:  Ife Federal Constituency

Hon. Oluwole Oke:  Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency

These lawmakers, representing the collective will of millions of Osun citizens, moved to the APC in the face of glaring marginalization, nepotism, and the disgraceful personalization of governance under Governor Adeleke.

Why the Governor Has No Moral Standing

The ORG reminds the people of Osun that Governor Adeleke himself turned governance and party leadership into a family affair, sidelining competent stakeholders and creating a climate of suffocation in the PDP. Contracts, appointments, and key party decisions were hijacked by family members and cronies, while genuine party leaders and office holders were treated with disdain.

This reckless concentration of power within the Adeleke dynasty drove many PDP members—including these five National Assembly members—into the waiting arms of the APC. They sought a platform where their voices and the voices of their constituents could be heard. The Governor, therefore, has no moral right to cry foul when the chickens have come home to roost.

A Governor Caught in His Own Hypocrisy

The most laughable and shameful dimension of this drama is the Governor’s hypocrisy. Nigerians have not forgotten that Governor Adeleke himself secretly plotted to defect to the APC only a few months ago. He lobbied underground, moved emissaries around, and desperately sought a way into the APC. It was only when the APC publicly rebuffed him as a “political liability and Trojan horse” that he returned, tail between his legs, to the PDP fold.

If Adeleke’s attempted defection had succeeded, would he have dragged himself to court under Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution? Would he have declared his own seat vacant? Clearly not! His shameless double standard is evident to all, and the people of Osun can now see that what is at stake is not law, justice, or morality, but his bruised ego and failed ambition.

Constitutional Illiteracy and Abuse of the Courts

ORG condemns in the strongest terms the Governor’s decision to reduce the courts of our land to tools for petty vendetta. Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides a framework for the circumstances under which a lawmaker may lose his or her seat. But those provisions are not to be interpreted or enforced by a state governor seeking to punish his political enemies. The courts are not the Governor’s personal weapon, and democracy is not a family business.

By dragging duly elected senators and representatives to court, Governor Adeleke exposes his constitutional illiteracy. Democracy thrives on freedom of association, pluralism, and the right to political realignment. Defections are political acts that should be settled through electoral competition and party reform, not through courtroom ambush. ORG reiterates that the Governor’s actions are a misreading of the law, a misuse of the judiciary, and a dangerous precedent that could destabilize Osun’s democracy.

A Manifestation of Leadership Failure

The Osun Renewal Group views this entire episode as a symptom of a deeper disease: leadership failure. A governor who should be focused on roads, education, health, security, and jobs is instead consumed by childish vendettas. Instead of uniting the PDP, he fractured it. Instead of consolidating governance, he turned it into a family estate. Instead of respecting democracy, he is undermining it through court manipulations.

Illiteracy, it is often said, is a disease. Today, that saying has found a living example in Osun State. The Governor’s ignorance of law and politics has become a national embarrassment.

The Way Forward

The Osun Renewal Group therefore demands the following:

1. That Governor Adeleke immediately withdraw his frivolous and vindictive lawsuits against the five National Assembly members.

2. That he focus instead on delivering dividends of democracy to the people of Osun, who are tired of excuses, entertainment, and endless family drama.

3. That he stop running underground to beg the APC for admission while pretending to defend the PDP. The people deserve honesty, not hypocrisy.

4. That he educate himself on the Constitution he swore to uphold, particularly on matters of democratic rights and freedom of association.

Conclusion

The people of Osun are not fools. They can see through the Governor’s theatrics. They know that these lawsuits are not about law but about vengeance. They know that Adeleke tried and failed to defect to the APC, and now he is punishing those who succeeded. They know that Osun is fast becoming the laughing stock of the nation under a governor who lacks political maturity and educational depth.

The Osun Renewal Group calls on civil society, opposition parties, and all lovers of democracy to resist this dangerous abuse of power. Osun deserves leaders who respect the Constitution, understand democracy, and serve the people, not their families.

Signed:
Osun Renewal Group (ORG)