OSOGBO, Nigeria — Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly Adewale Egbedun and 24 other lawmakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the Accord Party, in a major political realignment ahead of the state’s governorship election later this year. Multiple Nigerian outlets reported the move on Friday, citing a statement from the Speaker’s spokesperson, Olamide Tiamiyu. The defections mean that all 25 lawmakers previously elected under the PDP banner in the 26-member Assembly have now joined Accord, leaving Femi Popoola of the APC as the chamber’s sole opposition lawmaker.
According to reports, the decision was taken after a meeting at the Assembly complex in Osogbo. The move is widely seen as an effort to consolidate Governor Ademola Adeleke’s political base in the Accord Party ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election. Adeleke himself left the PDP for Accord in December 2025, but until now the Assembly caucus had remained formally in the PDP. In remarks carried by local media, the lawmakers said their switch was intended to ensure continuity in governance and support ongoing development in the state. Reports also said they reaffirmed their support for Governor Adeleke and urged their supporters to join them in what they described as a new political chapter.
The mass defection is significant because it effectively transfers the Assembly’s dominant bloc from one party to another in a single move, tightening Accord’s institutional grip on Osun politics just months before voters return to the polls. With the Speaker and nearly the entire House now aligned with the governor’s new platform, the opposition faces a steeper challenge in the run-up to the election. The development also deepens the PDP’s erosion in Osun after Adeleke’s departure last year, though it remains to be seen how the party’s grassroots structure and voter base will respond before the August contest
