The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing an intensifying wave of defections as three of its sitting governors—Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, and Kefas Agbu of Taraba State—are reportedly preparing to exit the party before the end of the year.
Tensions within the PDP rose sharply over the weekend when the trio noticeably shunned the party’s controversial national convention held in Ibadan on Saturday. Their absence, which party insiders said was too significant to be dismissed as coincidence, has fueled speculations of imminent realignments ahead of the 2027 political cycle.
The strongest confirmation yet came from the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, who disclosed that Taraba State Governor Kefas Agbu would officially join the ruling party on Wednesday, November 19. His move is expected to strengthen the APC’s growing presence in the North-East and further weaken the PDP’s grip in the region.
Governors Adeleke and Fubara are also reportedly in advanced stages of negotiations to exit the PDP. Sources suggest Adeleke could be headed for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Fubara’s move remains tightly guarded but widely speculated to be toward the APC, where his political rivals already enjoy strong backing.
Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, while reacting to the governors’ absence in Ibadan, admitted the situation signals possible defections.
According to him, “We should not blame Governor Adeleke and others who are not in Ibadan if they are on their way out of the party. Adeleke’s colleagues in Ibadan are hell-bent on frustrating his second-term bid, trying to destroy the party on whose platform they were all elected.”
Osadolor went further to dismiss the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention, insisting it carried no legal weight. He argued that the absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the venue invalidated any resolutions made there.
“In the eyes of the law, it is a complete nullity,” he stated. “There is no INEC presence at the venue of the so-called convention. So, when they finish this their Christmas party, will they write a list and send to INEC that the court told them not to monitor the process?”
His remarks highlight the deepening crisis within the PDP, where factions have continued to jostle for control, often in open defiance of court orders and internal reconciliation efforts.
The potential loss of three sitting governors within months could mark one of the most devastating blows to the PDP in its recent history.
