Oluwole Oke, the House of Representatives member representing the Obokun/Oriade federal constituency area of Osun State, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the party leadership denied him the opportunity to contest for a position.
The lawmaker disclosed this on Thursday while speaking on Rave 91.7 FM, a radio station in Osogbo, the state capital.
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Mr Oke was not, however, specific on the position he was denied from contesting.
He questioned why he was singled out for the treatment when other top party figures, such as Governor Ademola Adeleke and Osun East Senator Francis Fadahunsi, were allowed to seek re-election.
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“The Constitution places no limit. Why didn’t you ask the governor not to run for a second term? Why can’t you ask Fadahunsi not to run for Senate? These are my fundamental rights. If I want to run for any election, I will go for it. Two things are likely to happen. It’s either I win or I fail,” he said.
Mr Oke resigned his membership from the PDP in a letter dated 16 April and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP in Ward 7, Obokun Local Government Area of the state.
However, he has yet to officially declare his new political party, though it is believed that he would join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Since announcing his resignation, Mr Oke has been spotted at several meetings with prominent APC leaders in Osun State. Some party members have already publicly welcomed him to the party.
Mr Oke has been representing his federal constituency since 2003 under the PDP. It was only in one session (2011-2015) that he was not a member of the lower chamber.
Speculations about his resignation had been circulating for weeks before his official letter.
Sources in the South-west state have linked his exit to a strained relationship with Governor Adeleke and his aspiration to run for a higher political office.
He is believed to be aiming for the 2026 gubernatorial race in the state or the 2027 senatorial elections.
Those familiar with the state’s political terrain said Mr Oke has been in talks with APC leaders since 2022, when the state had its last governorship election.
There is also speculation that PDP leaders in the Obokun Local Government Area of the state do not support Mr Oke’s plan for the National Assembly in 2027.
Open to opportunities
When asked about his future political career in a state governed by the PDP, Mr Oke said he would accept any role his new political party offers when he finally joins it, even if it means resigning from the National Assembly.
“Wherever I go, whatever they think I deserve, they will give me. There are positions on the Executive side. If you give me the Chairman of FIRS today, I will resign from the parliament. If you give me the managing director of NIMASA position today, I will leave the parliament. Even if you give me the councillorship position, I will take it. It takes so much for the party to say they want me,” he said.
Financing PDP for 12 years
Mr Oke also claimed that he has been one of PDP’s prominent financial supporters in Osun State.
“And let me tell you, they use me as a sacrificial lamb to wage war to liberate that area. I financed this party for 12 years. Every year, I bring trailers of goodies. There is no leader in Osun PDP, and I don’t have his account details. I stood with the party. I parted ways with my late brother, Soji Adagunodo because I insisted that the Adelekes should get the governorship ticket,” he added.
Oke’s alleged corruption record
In August 2023, Mr Oke was named in a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report that uncovered extortion by a House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing job racketeering in federal parastatals.
The committee was accused of soliciting bribes from heads of ministries, departments, and agencies, including educational institutions.
Despite the committee’s public anti-corruption posture, it reportedly leveraged its powers to intimidate agency heads into making illegal payments.
The ad hoc committee was established through a motion introduced by Mr Oke on 5 July 2023.
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