Dr. Ibraheem Adekunle has reaffirmed that he remains the duly nominated Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the Osun Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election, dismissing claims by Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi to the party’s ticket.
The clarification follows recent claims by Fadeyi, who returned to the PDP after leaving the All Progressives Congress and announced that he had emerged as the senatorial candidate of a faction within the party.
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Friday, Adekunle warned against any attempt to replace his name as the PDP’s candidate, insisting that such a move would be challenged through the courts if necessary.
According to him, he emerged through the party’s officially recognised primary election and remains the only validly nominated candidate for the Osun Central Senatorial District.
Adekunle also questioned the legality of Fadeyi’s political activities, arguing that the timeline surrounding his alleged return to the PDP raises serious constitutional and procedural concerns.
He explained that while it has been claimed Fadeyi received a PDP waiver on May 8, 2026, records show he later took part in the APC senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026, for the same position.
Adekunle said the development raises important questions about how an individual who allegedly became a PDP member on May 8 could still purchase APC nomination forms, complete the party’s nomination process, undergo screening, campaign as an APC aspirant and participate in its primary election just 10 days later.
He maintained that Nigerian law does not permit simultaneous membership of two political parties, adding that the situation requires proper legal clarification.
Adekunle further stated that by the time Fadeyi reportedly participated in the APC primary election, the PDP had already completed every stage of its own nomination process for the Osun Central Senatorial District.
According to him, the process included the sale of nomination forms, screening of aspirants, the conduct of the primary election, declaration of the winner and submission of the successful candidate’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He stressed that he was the only aspirant who contested the PDP primary and that his emergence complied fully with the party’s constitution as well as the provisions of the Electoral Act.
“My name was duly submitted by the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission after the primary election and was subsequently uploaded on the commission’s nomination portal in line with the law. I therefore remain the authentic and validly nominated PDP candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District,” Adekunle stated.
