- Olurode stressed that INEC had no knowledge of any additional or parallel primary organised by the party
- the caretaker Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Babalola Akande, described the exercise as illegal
- He maintained that Adeleke’s emergence followed due process in line with the party’s constitution
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has distanced itself from reports of a parallel governorship primary allegedly conducted by a faction of the Accord Party in the state.
Eko Hot Blog reports that a splinter group of the party on Sunday claimed to have held a primary election in Osogbo, where Bamigbola Clement reportedly emerged as its candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship election.
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The exercise was said to have commenced with the accreditation of delegates, amid the presence of a heavy security deployment around the venue.
Clement, who was presented as the sole aspirant at the gathering, later confirmed his emergence, describing the process as a consensus arrangement endorsed by delegates in attendance.
However, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Musa Olurode, dismissed claims of any such exercise being recognised by the commission.
According to him, INEC only monitored one Accord Party primary held earlier in the week, adding that the report from that exercise had already been submitted to the commission.
Olurode stressed that INEC had no knowledge of any additional or parallel primary organised by the party, noting that the commission could only act on processes it officially observed.
It would be recalled that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, last Wednesday emerged as the Accord Party’s governorship candidate for the 2026 poll. That primary, also held in Osogbo, featured Adeleke as the lone aspirant.
Announcing the outcome of that exercise, Abdulazeez Salaudeen, Secretary of the party’s electoral committee, disclosed that Adeleke secured 145 votes out of 150 accredited delegates drawn from the state’s 30 local government areas, with five ballots declared invalid.
Reacting to reports of the factional primary, the caretaker Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Babalola Akande, described the exercise as illegal and unrecognised by the party. Speaking to journalists in Osogbo, Akande insisted that Adeleke remains the party’s authentic and duly nominated governorship flagbearer.
He maintained that Adeleke’s emergence followed due process in line with the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and relevant judicial precedents, stressing that the position could not be overturned by what he described as impersonation and political mischief.
Akande urged residents of the state to disregard the claims of the splinter group, warning that the party would take legal action against individuals involved in what he termed an attempt to mislead the public and undermine internal party democracy.
Reaffirming the party’s stance, he stated that no parallel structure or unlawful gathering could alter the outcome of the valid primary conducted on December 10, 2025, which produced Governor Ademola Adeleke as the Accord Party’s sole governorship candidate in Osun State.
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