Osun Election: ADC Says It Worked With Accord Party To Stop APC Return

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has revealed that it collaborated with the Accord Party during the August 15 Osun State governorship election in a bid to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from returning to power in the state.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this on Trust TV on Monday while discussing the ADC’s performance in the election.

ADC governorship candidate Najeem Salaam polled 17,180 votes, while the incumbent governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won the election with 511,067 votes. The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, came second with 444,815 votes.

Explaining the ADC’s performance, Abdullahi said the party had anticipated that a division of opposition votes could give the APC an advantage.

He said this prompted the ADC to collaborate with the Accord Party to ensure that opposition votes were not split.

“We saw the possibility earlier on that if we decided to go full throttle, the possibility that the opposition would divide the votes and APC would take the victory was there.

“And that was why we saw the opportunity to work together. And that was what happened,” he said.

Abdullahi said the ADC did not consider its candidate’s performance a failure, stressing that the party’s primary objective was to prevent the APC from reclaiming power in Osun.

“For us, victory means that APC was defeated,” he said, adding that the party therefore viewed the outcome as a victory despite its candidate failing to win the governorship.

Asked whether the ADC instructed its supporters to vote for Adeleke, Abdullahi said, “We co-operated with the Accord Party.”

He explained that the decision was deliberate and backed by the leadership of the ADC.

According to Abdullahi, the outcome of the election demonstrated that opposition parties could defeat the ruling APC in the 2027 presidential election if they worked together.

He, however, rejected any suggestion that the ADC was claiming responsibility for Adeleke’s victory, saying the people of Osun State deserved the credit.

“The victory belongs to Ademola Adeleke. And in spite of all odds, he still managed to emerge as the governor of Osun State,” he said.

The ADC spokesman also dismissed claims that the party’s poor showing was caused by resentment towards its National Secretary and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

Abdullahi argued that Aregbesola remained popular in the state, saying the party’s leadership had witnessed the support he still commanded during the build-up to the election.

He also dismissed criticisms of Aregbesola’s administration, describing claims that his treatment of civil servants contributed to the ADC’s performance as “oppositionality.”

Abdullahi maintained that the ADC’s decision to work with the Accord Party was a deliberate political strategy and was not driven by resentment or an attempt to punish any political figure.