The Accord Party in Osun State has disowned a purported governorship primary allegedly conducted in its name, describing it as illegal, fraudulent and a deliberate attempt to sabotage the electoral process ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
Addressing journalists at the press conference in Osogbo today, the Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande, said individuals behind the alleged primary are not members of the party and lack the legal authority to act on its behalf.
Akande stated that the party convened the briefing to correct what he described as widespread misinformation being circulated by impostors falsely claiming affiliation with the Accord. He said the group parading itself as having conducted a governorship congress was unknown to the party’s leadership.
”Let it be stated clearly, categorically and without equivocation that all the actors being named in this comedy, including one Mr. Fanibe and Clement Bangbola, are not known members of the Accord. Fanibe was expelled from the party in 2018 for fraud and acts inimical to the unity and progress of the party.” Akande stated.
“Let me state with absolute finality that Governor Ademola Adeleke is the duly nominated and lawful governorship candidate of the Accord in Osun State. This position is incontestable, irreversible and firmly grounded in law.”
According to Akande , Adeleke’s emergence followed due process in line with the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and established judicial precedents.
He noted that those involved have no moral, political or legal standing to conduct any activity in the name of the Accord. He alleged that the impersonation was being sponsored by political rivals seeking to undermine Governor Ademola Adeleke’s candidacy.
Akande claimed that the alleged plot was orchestrated by elements linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC), acting through proxies to challenge what he described as the growing popularity of Governor Adeleke.
”The public must know that those behind this affront on our democracy are known APC affiliates acting as proxies in a desperate scheme targeted at undermining the lawful candidacy of His Excellency Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.”
The party chairman reaffirmed that Governor Adeleke remains the party’s duly nominated and legally recognised governorship candidate in Osun State.
Akande urged the people of Osun State to ignore what he described as distractions from politically displaced actors who had been rejected at the polls.
The party issued a stern warning to individuals and institutions allegedly aiding the purported illegal activities, stressing that only recognised political parties can lawfully conduct primaries after duly notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
”Any primary conducted outside the framework of the Electoral Act 2022 is illegal, null and void, and of no legal consequence whatsoever. Anyone parading himself as a candidate of the Accord without lawful nomination is committing impersonation and electoral fraud.”
Akande further put INEC, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies on notice, warning that any gathering conducted in the name of the Accord outside its recognised structure constitutes an illegal assembly.
He expressed concern over what he described as the conduct of the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Police, alleging selective deployment of officers to the alleged illegal gathering despite prior notifications to security agencies.
Akande added that the party would pursue all legal options, including reporting those involved to appropriate professional bodies, to protect its constitutional rights and the integrity of the electoral process.
He concluded by restating that Governor Adeleke emerged as the Accord governorship candidate during a valid primary election conducted on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
”For the sake of emphasis, Governor Ademola Adeleke is the sole and legally recognised governorship candidate of the Accord in Osun State. No parallel structure, no impersonator and no spectacle can alter this legal reality.”
The party reaffirmed its unity and commitment to working with the people of Osun State to secure a renewed mandate for Governor Adeleke in the 2026 governorship election
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