Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has explained why he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the August 15 governorship election on the platform of the Accord Party.

Adeleke said his decision was driven by the crisis within the PDP at the time, describing the move as difficult despite his strong attachment to the party.

“I left the PDP to join Accord because of the crisis in the PDP then. I love PDP so much, and it was difficult to leave. I would have run as an independent candidate in this election if it were allowed in Nigeria,” Adeleke said.

The governor spoke during the Arise Townhall Meeting and in posts shared on his verified X handle on Tuesday.

Adeleke also expressed confidence in his chances of securing re-election, saying he would not need to engage in vote-buying to win.

According to him, financial constraints had limited his administration’s ability to spend money on electoral inducements, particularly following the withholding of local government allocations.

“As an administration, we do not have the resources to engage in vote buying. We have been using state resources to pay local government workers since our local government allocation was withheld almost two years ago,” he said.

He added, “I do not need to buy votes to win election. I have been giving workers palliative since 2023. I believe in my work to speak for me.”

Adeleke also responded to criticism over his frequent dancing at public events, insisting that his lively personality had not affected his performance as governor.

“I dance because in my family, we are jolly good fellows. As I am dancing, I am working. There is time for everything; there is time to dance, and there is time to work. Dancing does not stop me from working. I have delivered across all sectors,” he said.

On the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the support of several governors for its candidate, Adeleke dismissed concerns that their involvement would determine the outcome of the election.

Describing himself as a “bulldozer,” the governor maintained that the number of governors supporting the opposition candidate would not stop him from winning the election.