The leadership of the Accord Party in Osun State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to destabilise the party by sponsoring a parallel governorship primary following the emergence of Governor Ademola Adeleke as its candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Pastor Victor Akande, alleged that the move was aimed at sowing disunity, confusion and chaos within the party.
“The plot of an illegal parallel primary is designed to sow the seeds of disunity, confusion and chaos in the state in the name of our party,” Akande said.
He described the alleged plot as a “gimmick” by the APC, which he said was struggling to match the political momentum and popularity enjoyed by Governor Adeleke since his declaration and affiliation with the Accord Party.
“This latest ploy is yet another attempt by the APC, a party that appears to be in disarray given the overwhelming acceptance, goodwill and popularity that Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke (Imole) enjoys among the good people of Osun State,” he added.
Akande further claimed that the APC was sponsoring one of its card-carrying members to pose as an Accord aspirant in order to trigger an internal crisis.
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“We are a law-abiding, democratic and peace-loving party. Only processes recognised by the appropriate national leadership of the party are valid. Any primary or aspirant outside this process is null and void,” he said.
The Accord Party chairman urged security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant authorities to take note of what he described as a plot capable of disrupting public peace, insisting that “Osun State has moved on.”
APC Dismisses Allegation
Reacting to the allegation, the APC, through its Director of Media, Chief Kola Olabisi, dismissed the claims, saying the party had no interest in the internal affairs of other political parties.
“The APC is not concerned with the infighting of other parties. Our focus is on marketing our candidate and winning the 2026 governorship election,” Olabisi said.
The controversy followed reports that a faction of the Accord Party had produced Clement Bamigbola as its governorship candidate, just four days after Governor Adeleke emerged as the party’s flagbearer.
Adeleke was declared the Accord candidate last Wednesday after emerging as the sole aspirant at the party’s primary election held in Osogbo, the state capital.
However, the faction that conducted the parallel primary rejected Adeleke’s emergence, arguing that Barrister Maxwell Ngbudem, the party’s national chairman, was not legally recognised.
Bamigbola, who was the only aspirant presented to delegates at the factional primary reportedly held on Sunday, confirmed his emergence.
“It is true. We had our primary, and I emerged as the consensus candidate,” he told The PUNCH.
INEC Disowns Parallel Primary
INEC has since distanced itself from the factional exercise. The commission’s Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Musa Olurode, said INEC was not informed of any parallel primary.
“We monitored the only Accord Party primary conducted a few days ago, and the report has been submitted. INEC is not aware of any other primary,” Olurode said.
INEC officials had monitored the primary that produced Adeleke as the party’s candidate.
Accord Reaffirms Adeleke as Sole Candidate
Meanwhile, the caretaker Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Babalola Akande, dismissed the factional primary, describing it as illegal and unrecognised by the party.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Akande said Adeleke remained the duly nominated and lawful governorship candidate of the Accord Party.
“This position is incontestable, irreversible and firmly grounded in law, having emerged through due process in accordance with the Constitution of the Accord Party, the Electoral Act 2022 and established judicial precedents,” he said.
He urged Osun residents to ignore what he called “distractions orchestrated by politically displaced actors” and warned that the party would pursue legal action against those involved in impersonation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, by virtue of the valid primary election lawfully conducted on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke is the sole and legally recognised governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Osun State,” Akande added.
