The political atmosphere in Osun State has once again become charged, effectively shutting the door on any lingering speculation that Governor Ademola Adeleke might defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The hope of a high-profile defection, which had been a topic of whispers in political circles, has been definitively dashed by a resumed and aggressive press war launched by the PDP-led state government against the APC and the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government.

This renewed offensive, coming just weeks after a period of relative calm, is anchored by a series of hard-hitting press statements from the state government. These statements, which have been released with increasing frequency, directly challenge the APC and the federal government on critical issues, most notably the withholding of local government allocations. This strategic media assault serves to widen the political chasm between the two parties, making any form of political realignment for Governor Adeleke a practical impossibility.

A clear illustration of this escalated "press war" can be seen in two separate press statements released by the Osun State government within a 24-hour period. These statements, issued by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the Governor's Spokesperson, and Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, leave no room for ambiguity about t ahe state government's position.

In a statement released this evening, "Withheld Allocations: Osun People will Punish APC for Illegally Withholding Osun LG Allocations," Mallam Olawale Rasheed directly accuses the Osun APC of "deliberately withholding Osun local government allocations to punish the people and the performing Governor of Osun state." He provides a detailed legal justification for the state government's position, citing the Court of Appeal judgment of June 13, 2025, which, according to the statement, "sustained the sacking of the APC council chairmen and expressly validated the February 22, 2025 local governments election."

The statement goes further, alleging that the Federal Government and the Presidency were initially unaware of the funds' seizure, and that the "Attorney-General of the Federation instructed the Accountant-General of the Federation to withhold the funds without presidential approval." This places the blame squarely on a key figure within the federal government and portrays the action as a politically motivated maneuver. Rasheed concludes with a stern warning, stating that "Osun people will harshly punish them [APC] through the ballot for their willful inhuman punishment of Osun people." This is a powerful, confrontational message that signals a zero-tolerance approach to the opposition.

This combative stance was reinforced in an earlier press statement, released within 24 hours. Titled "Osun Government Again Calls on FG to Release Osun LG Funds," this statement from Commissioner Kolapo Alimi reiterates the government's legal position and directly appeals to President Tinubu to intervene. Alimi also welcomes the "intervention of Traditional rulers and other leaders of thought to secure the immediate release of the fund," framing the issue as a matter of public hardship and not just a political squabble. He explicitly states that "the attack on the state Governor has failed and we urge those behind the illegal move to abandon the anti-people path and release Osun local government funds without further delay."

The language used by Barr Alimi was assertive and accusatory, indicating that the state government views the funds' seizure as a personal attack on the Governor and the people of Osun.

The content and timing of these two statements are particularly significant. They represent a deliberate shift from a period of political détente to a full-blown media war. By directly and publicly challenging the APC and key federal government officials, the Osun State government has created a situation where a potential defection by Governor Adeleke would be seen as a betrayal of his party and the very people he claims to be fighting for. The rhetoric employed in these statements—accusing the APC of illegal, anti-people, and conspiratorial actions—makes it virtually impossible for the Governor to cross party lines without a complete loss of political credibility.

Concisely, while political defections are not uncommon in Nigeria, the recent and highly charged press war resumed by the Osun State government has resurrected an insurmountable barrier to any such move by Governor Adeleke.

The state government's public confrontation with the APC and the federal government, as evidenced by the two press statements, has solidified the Governor's position within the PDP and has effectively blocked any hope of a defection to the APC. The press war is a clear signal that the political battle lines are drawn, and Governor Adeleke is firmly on the side of the PDP.