The Accord Party leadership in Osun State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to destabilise the party by allegedly organising a parallel governorship primary following the emergence of Governor Ademola Adeleke as its candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
The allegation followed protests by a faction within the Accord Party after Adeleke clinched the party’s ticket, with the group questioning the legitimacy of the party’s national leadership under Barrister Maxwell Ngbudem.
Reacting to the situation, the Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Pastor Victor Akande, said in a statement that “the plot of illegal parallel primary is to sow the seeds of disunity, confusion, and chaos in the state in the name of our party.”
He described the alleged move as another scheme by the APC, noting that the ruling party appeared unsettled by the widespread acceptance, popularity, and goodwill enjoyed by Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke (Imole) across Osun State, especially following his declaration for and alignment with the Accord Party.
According to Akande, the APC has been unable to match the political momentum, grassroots support, and influence commanded by Adeleke, prompting the opposition party to allegedly resort to underhanded tactics.
“APC is sponsoring one of their own card-carrying members to pose as an aspirant of the ACCORD in a bid to create a crisis in our own party and the state at large,” he said.
He stressed that the Accord Party remains a law-abiding, democratic, and peace-loving organisation, insisting that only procedures approved by the party’s recognised national leadership are valid.
“This is to state that only the processes that are recognised by the appropriate national leadership of the party are valid. As such, any primary or aspirant who is outside of this is invalid, null, and void,” Akande stated.
The party chairman urged security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other relevant authorities to take note of what he described as an emerging plot capable of disturbing public peace, adding that Osun State has moved beyond such distractions.
Responding to the allegation, the APC, through its Director of Media, Chief Kola Olabisi, dismissed the claim, stating that the party has no interest in the internal affairs of other political parties.
According to him, the APC is focused on promoting its own candidate ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
“We held our primary on Saturday, and we successfully picked our candidate. We are not aware of any other political party primary,” he said.
