Osun Central Senator, Fadeyi defects to PDP

Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, representing Osun Central Senatorial District, has announced his return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Senator Fadeyi said his decision followed concerns over the conduct of the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial ticket process ahead of the 2027 general election.

Fadeyi who confirmed his defection on Thursday, disclosed that he had formally notified the Senate of his decision to leave the APC and rejoin the PDP.

The senator also declared that he had emerged as the PDP’s candidate for the Osun Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 National Assembly election under the party faction led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

“I am back in the PDP led by the FCT Minister, His Excellency, Nyesom Wike. I have already written to the Senate,” Fadeyi said. “I can also confirm that I am the candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District for the 2027 Senate election.”

Fadeyi had left the PDP in July 2025 alongside four other National Assembly members to join the APC, where he sought to secure the party’s ticket for another term in the Senate.

However, the APC eventually selected Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adekunle Adegoke, as its senatorial candidate for Osun Central, prompting Fadeyi to reconsider his political future.

In his resignation letter, the senator explained that he joined the APC in support of President Bola Tinubu, believing assurances given to him regarding the party’s nomination process would be respected.

“I joined the APC as a progressive party in good faith to support Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his ancestral home, which falls within my senatorial district,” the letter stated.

Fadeyi said he had expected the party to honour the understanding that he would receive the APC’s sole ticket for the Osun Central Senate seat, adding that the process was intended to be based on consensus.

According to him, “the anticipated consensus arrangement did not materialise, while the eventual candidate selection process failed to meet his expectations of fairness, transparency and internal democracy.

“Recent developments from the leadership of the APC in Osun State have created serious trust issues within the party and made my continued membership of the party untenable. No consensus process was genuinely conducted, nor were party primaries held in a transparent and acceptable manner.”

The senator expressed disappointment that while other federal lawmakers who defected with him reportedly secured return tickets, he was denied the opportunity to contest under the APC platform despite earlier expectations.

Fadeyi maintained that his decision to leave the APC should not be interpreted as opposition to President Tinubu, stressing instead that it reflected his belief that political parties should uphold agreements, democratic principles, fairness and mutual trust in their internal processes.