Adeleke’s media adviser says APC defection by two Osun senators was a political miscalculation driven by false rumours about the governor’s plans
The Senior Special Adviser on Media to Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Hezekiah Bamiji, has labelled the recent APC defection by two Peoples Democratic Party senators as a political miscalculation.
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Bamiji made the comment on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he addressed the defection of Senators Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) and Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central) to the All Progressives Congress.
He said the lawmakers were misled by false assumptions that Governor Adeleke was planning to switch parties.
According to him, they acted on speculation without seeking clarity from the governor.
“Maybe what I can say is a kind of miscalculation on the part of the lawmakers,” Bamiji said.
“The rumour perhaps overwhelmed them, thinking that the governor was coming, they felt that they were Abuja politicians and should be faster than the governor.”
He described Adeleke as the undisputed leader of the PDP in Osun State and stated that the senators should have consulted with him and their constituents before making any move.
“The governor is the leader of the party in Osun State. I felt they should have consulted with their leader and perhaps also the people in their various constituencies, but I am not sure that was done,” he said.
Bamiji added that Adeleke remains focused on governance and has no need to defect to the APC to deliver effective leadership to the people of Osun.
The APC defection of Fadahunsi and Fadeyi was part of a wave of movements on Wednesday that raised the ruling party’s Senate majority to 70 seats, further reducing the PDP’s numbers to 28.
Speculation about Adeleke’s political future had intensified in recent weeks following his visit to President Bola Tinubu alongside his brother Adedeji Adeleke and nephew, singer Davido, in Lagos on June 3.
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However, Bamiji’s statement appears to quell rumours of an imminent shift by the governor.
