The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has stated that it was not notified of, nor did it monitor, any parallel governorship primary reportedly conducted by a faction of the Accord Party in the state.
A faction of the party on Sunday claimed to have held a primary election in Osogbo, the state capital, which reportedly produced Bamigbola Clement as its candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship election. The exercise allegedly commenced with the accreditation of delegates and was conducted amid heavy security presence, including armed police operatives.
Bamigbola, who was presented as the sole aspirant, confirmed his emergence, describing himself as the consensus candidate of the faction.
However, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Musa Olurode, dismissed the development, saying the commission was unaware of any such exercise.
“We monitored the only Accord Party primary conducted a few days ago, and the report has been duly submitted. INEC is not aware of any other primary conducted by the party,” Olurode said.
INEC’s position aligns with the primary election held last Wednesday, where Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, emerged as the Accord Party’s governorship candidate. Adeleke was the sole aspirant in the primary, which also took place in Osogbo.
Announcing the result, Abdulazeez Salaudeen, Secretary of the Accord Party Electoral Committee, said Adeleke secured 145 votes out of 150 accredited delegates drawn from the state’s 30 local government areas, with five votes voided.
Following reports of the factional primary, the caretaker Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Babalola Akande, declared the exercise illegal and disowned its organisers, stating that they are not recognised by the party.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Akande reaffirmed that Adeleke remains the duly nominated and legally recognised governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Osun State.
He described Adeleke’s candidacy as “incontestable and irreversible,” stressing that it followed due process in line with the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and established judicial precedents.
Akande urged residents of the state to disregard what he termed distractions orchestrated by “politically displaced actors,” warning that the party would pursue legal action against anyone impersonating party officials or candidates.
He further cautioned institutions and authorities against recognising or providing legitimacy to the factional group, noting that such actions could attract legal consequences.
“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 said.
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