A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Nafiu Bala Gombe has blamed the party’s poor performance in the just concluded Osun governorship election on the alleged imposition of an ‘unpopular candidate’ by the leadership led by a former Senate President, David Mark.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, on Sunday, declared Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, winner of the keenly contested election.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 444,815 votes.
The candidate of ADC, Najeem Salaam, however, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Gombe, who congratulated Adeleke on his victory, described it as a reflection of the will of the people of Osun State.
“We note that this victory reinforces democratic values, deepens constitutional governance and reflects the sovereign will of the good people of Osun State,” he said.
He also commended the INEC for what he described as its diligence and commitment to conducting a free, fair and credible election.
However, Gombe attributed the ADC’s performance to what he called the “imposition of candidate” by members of the coalition group operating under the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC).
According to him, the presentation of a candidate who lacked popularity among voters alienated the electorate and damaged the party’s chances at the poll.
“For the purpose of clarity and public record, the ADC wishes to state that the party’s poor performance in the just concluded election was a direct consequence of imposition of candidate by members of the coalition group operating under the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee,” he said.
Gombe assured party supporters that his faction would reposition the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections by mobilising support and presenting what he described as credible and formidable candidates.
The development comes amid an ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC, with two factions laying claim to the national leadership of the party.
While the David Mark-led leadership is currently recognised by INEC, the Gombe faction has challenged the legitimacy of Mark’s leadership in court, alleging an illegal takeover of the party.
In a related development, Gombe’s faction had called on INEC to remove the names of Mark and members of his NWC from the commission’s official portal.
The faction claimed that a court ruling had directed INEC to withdraw its recognition of the David Mark-led NWC and invalidate decisions, resolutions and actions taken by the committee.
It urged the electoral commission to recognise only the NWC it considers legitimate, in compliance with the court ruling.
The faction also issued a warning to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his alleged claim to the ADC’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Gombe said Atiku was neither the current nor former presidential candidate of the ADC for the 2027 election and urged him to stop using the party’s name, logo and emblem in making what the faction described as unauthorised statements.
The faction gave Atiku seven days to publicly apologise to ADC members and stakeholders, threatening to take legal action if he failed to comply.
It further called on the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to investigate the alleged activities of Bolaji Abdullahi, whom it accused of disseminating false information capable of misleading the public and causing unrest.
