The Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Pastor Victor Akande, has reaffirmed that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains the party’s sole and legitimate candidate for the August 8 governorship election, dismissing claims of any parallel or factional candidacy within the party.
Akande also downplayed the threat posed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, insisting that the ruling party poses no challenge to Governor Adeleke’s re-election bid.
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, the Accord chairman described reports of the purported emergence of Clement Bamigbola as a governorship candidate from the party as baseless, misleading, and a waste of time and resources. He stressed that no such candidature is recognized within the party’s constitutional structure.
According to Akande, the so-called primary election allegedly conducted by a faction was illegal and invalid, noting that no such faction exists within the Accord Party by law.
He explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has consistently recognized and dealt with Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, the party’s legally acknowledged national leadership representative, during previous elections in states such as Anambra and Ekiti, adding that Osun State would not be an exception.
“Those peddling stories about a factional candidate are nothing more than political jobbers seeking attention for pecuniary gains,” Akande said. “I can categorically assure the people of Osun State that Governor Ademola Adeleke has no rival whatsoever on the Accord Party platform.”
Reacting to suggestions that the APC could reclaim power in the state, Akande stated that Osun voters had already rejected the APC in the 2022 governorship election and would reaffirm that decision more emphatically in August.
He recalled what he described as the APC’s poor governance record while in power, accusing the party of impoverishing workers through the payment of half salaries.
“We know the antecedents of the APC and how they governed Osun State. Workers were reduced to beggars. That era will never return,” he said.
“The people of Osun State rejected the APC at the polls in 2022, and they will speak even louder in August to make it clear that Osun will not be dragged back into an era of darkness,” Akande added.