The Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Pastor Babalola Akande, has said that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains the only legally recognised governorship candidate of the party for the 2026 election.
Akande stated this in a statement on Monday, reacting to a governorship primary allegedly conducted by a faction of the party in Osogbo on Sunday.
He described the exercise as illegal and a “political charade” orchestrated by the opposition, insisting that those involved were not members of the Accord Party.
“Let it be stated clearly, categorically, and without equivocation that all the actors being named in the fictitious primary are not members of our party,” Akande said.
He explained that some of the individuals involved had been expelled from the party since 2018 over alleged fraud and other actions inimical to the unity and progress of the party.
“Such characters, therefore, possess no authority whatsoever—moral, political, or legal—to convene, announce, or participate in any activity conducted in the name of the Accord Party,” he added.
Akande said the party was not disturbed by what he described as impersonation and political mischief but urged the public to note that those involved were affiliates of the opposition, acting as proxies to undermine Adeleke’s popularity.
“Let me state with absolute finality that Ademola Adeleke is the duly nominated and lawful governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Osun State.
“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 warned that under the Electoral Act 2022, only recognised political parties acting through their duly constituted organs, and after proper notification to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), could lawfully conduct congresses or primary elections.
“Any primary conducted outside this framework is illegal, null and void, and of no legal consequence whatsoever,” Akande said.
He further cautioned that anyone parading himself as a governorship candidate of the Accord Party without lawful nomination would be committing impersonation and electoral fraud, offences punishable under the Electoral Act 2022 and relevant criminal laws.
Akande reiterated that Adeleke remained the party’s sole and legally recognised governorship candidate in Osun State, stressing that no parallel structure or impersonation could alter the legal reality.
He urged residents of the state to ignore what he described as distractions by “politically displaced actors.”
A faction of the Accord Party in Osun State had, on Sunday, announced Mr Clement Bamigbola as its governorship candidate for the 2026 election.
This development followed the adoption of Adeleke as the Accord Party’s governorship candidate by the leadership of the party, led by Pastor Akande, on Wednesday.