Barely 16 hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke officially joined the Accord Party, the party’s national leadership has cleared him to participate in its gubernatorial primary.

The Nation recalled that Adeleke, on Tuesday evening, defected to the Accord Party alongside his deputy, Kola Adewusi, and other top aides.

In a statement, Elder Ibe Thankgod, Chairman of the Accord Party Screening Committee, confirmed that Adeleke had been screened ahead of Wednesday’s primary.

He noted that the governor met all the necessary requirements for nomination and participation, adding that the committee had cleared him as the sole aspirant for the party’s governorship ticket and completed all required documentation with relevant bodies.

The statement added that the committee presented Adeleke with a certificate of clearance and described him as a worthy gubernatorial aspirant.

Adeleke expressed gratitude to the screening committee and party leadership, affirming his readiness for the primary and the 2026 general elections.

“I am ready for the primary and I am ready for the general elections. We are winning by God’s grace,” he said.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has dismissed public backlash over her interaction with Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, calling the reactions a “needless controversy.”

In a statement posted on her Facebook page on Tuesday, Mrs Tinubu said critics often magnify minor issues and create distractions around leadership. She wrote:

“Those entrusted with leadership understand their duties and how to steer the affairs of society.

“More often, it is the followers and critics who scrutinize every step, amplify minor missteps, and turn them into needless controversy. Ọṣun lè tèǹtẹ̀ – Osun is ahead.”

The comments followed a video clip from the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, which showed Adeleke pausing after breaking into a short song during his speech.

Mrs Tinubu walked to the podium, gestured to him, and whispered to him — a moment that quickly went viral and drew sharp reactions online.

The First Lady’s statement marks her first public response since the video circulated.

The episode has since divided opinion.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on the Bureau of Social Services, Akintunde Bello, said the First Lady should be cautioned, insisting that her gesture toward an elected governor was inappropriate.

Similarly, African Democratic Congress chieftain Dele Momodu criticised the act, describing it as bullying and alleging that Mrs Tinubu had “openly disgraced and embarrassed Adeleke before a global audience.”

Some, however, believe that Mrs Tinubu’s action was justified.

Dayo Fashola, an aide to a former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, on her verified Facebook page, said the interaction between the duo was lighthearted.

“What transpired between Oluremi Tinubu and Adeleke was light‑hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem,” Fashola wrote.

Similarly, Facebook user Oyetunji Ayoade defended the First Lady, writing, “The highest respect the First Lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself, and she did.”

Neither Governor Adeleke nor the Presidency has issued further comments, even as the incident continues to dominate social media discussions.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has defended his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fubara announced his defection to the APC on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

In his address at the meeting, Governor Fubara stated that he had not received protection from his former party, which informed his decision to join the ruling party.

He credited President Bola Tinubu as the reason he is still standing as the governor of oil-rich Rivers State today, and said he would join the President’s party as a way of saying “thank you” for that protection.

“What you all have been waiting for, what you have been asking me—the signal has finally arrived. We have the full support; we have the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection to go to where we are going,” Fubara said.

“The reason why we are still standing is because of that place, and the truth is, without Mr. President, there wouldn’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been former governor.

“So, we have every reason—because the truth is, let nobody be fooled in this state—we have the people, we have the supporters. Our only ‘thank you’ to Mr. President is to support him, and we cannot support the President in isolation; we cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him—not backyard support.

“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have gotten the pass. Everyone here who has followed me, who has suffered with me—our decision today, this evening—is that we are moving to the APC.”

Fubara’s defection comes just four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 other lawmakers left the PDP for the APC on December 5.

The lawmakers attributed their departure from the PDP to the ongoing crisis within the party.