- Accord Party Ex-Presidential Candidate Dumps Gov, Backs APC’s Oyebamiji
- APC Rolls Out Big Guns; Akpabio, Sanwo-Olu, Other Govs Drum Up Support For Oyebamiji
- Drama As Appeal Court Orders INEC To Recognise Turaki-Led PDP’s Candidate
- Divided Opposition Will Cost Adeleke – Shehu Sani
The political battle for Osun State has entered a tense new phase, with Governor Ademola Adeleke facing fresh pressure ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke’s re-election bid suffered a major political blow on Thursday after Christopher Imumolen, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Accord Party, withdrew his support for the governor and backed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Imumolen made the declaration on Thursday at the grand finale of the APC governorship campaign rally in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, just two days before the governorship election.
The former presidential candidate, who described himself as a factional chairman of the Accord Party, claimed that the party had reversed its earlier support for Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the Accord platform.
“As the national chairman of the Accord Party, with my working committee, who are all here, we have stepped down our support for Ademola Adeleke, and today we declare our support for AMBO [Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji],” Imumolen declared.
He subsequently called on Accord members across the state to vote for the APC candidate on Saturday.
“Come on Saturday, all Accord members in Osun State should go to the polling units and vote for AMBO,” he said.
The declaration piles fresh political pressure on Adeleke ahead of Saturday’s election, particularly as the Accord faction recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and led by Maxwell Mgbudem has already endorsed the governor’s re-election bid.
The competing claims over the party’s position could further complicate the political contest and create uncertainty over the direction of Accord supporters at the polls.
Meanwhile, the ruling party has unleashed its political heavyweights in a final push to unseat Governor Adeleke as Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other APC governors stormed Osun State to rally support for the party’s governorship candidate.
The high-powered mobilisation came as the party intensified its campaign ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election, turning the state into a major political battleground.
Akpabio, Sanwo-Olu and other party leaders joined Oyebamiji and the APC campaign team at a grand rally in Osogbo, the state capital, where they urged voters to reject Adeleke and hand the state to the APC candidate.
The appearance of the political heavyweights underscores the importance the APC attaches to the election, with the party deploying some of its most influential figures to bolster Oyebamiji’s chances in the final hours of campaigning.
Interestingly, a fresh drama has erupted ahead of Saturday’s governorship election as the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja recognised Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Kabiru Turaki.
The appellate court, according to the PDP’s Interim National Working Committee (NWC), upheld Adedamola’s nomination and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately include the PDP logo on the ballot for the August 15 election.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, on Wednesday, the PDP said the court held that the party had validly conducted its governorship primary, which was monitored by INEC, and subsequently forwarded the winner’s name to the commission.
The court, the party said, also ruled that the access code required for uploading a candidate’s nomination on INEC’s portal was merely an administrative procedure and could not override the statutory requirement of forwarding the candidate’s name to the commission.
The judgment has, however, triggered a fresh political twist, with the PDP accusing INEC of deliberately frustrating its candidate and favouring what it described as “pretenders” allegedly working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party alleged that its primary was peaceful, transparent and uncontested, insisting that INEC monitored the exercise but subsequently withheld the codes required to upload its candidate’s details.
“Though justice has finally been done, in this case the grant of justice is akin to a denial as there is no opportunity for our candidate to undertake campaigns in preparation for the elections,” the PDP said.
The party accused the electoral commission of acting in a partisan manner and reiterated its position that INEC was “not a neutral umpire.”
Despite the court victory, the PDP said the late recognition of its candidate had made it practically impossible for him to mount an effective campaign before Saturday’s poll.
In a dramatic turn, the party announced that its Interim NWC had resolved to back Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting the election on the platform of the Accord Party.
The PDP described Adeleke as a former member of the party who left following what it called a “state-engineered and funded leadership conflict” within the organisation.
The party therefore directed its members and supporters in Osun State to vote for Adeleke in Saturday’s election.
“We therefore ask all our members to vote for Governor Adeleke,” the statement said.
The PDP also urged its members to turn out for the election, defend their votes and ensure that their ballots count.
It further accused the APC of seeking to win elections in areas where it claimed the ruling party lacked popular support, warning Nigerians against what it described as a “do or die” approach to electoral contests.
The party insisted that elections must reflect the freely expressed wishes of voters, declaring that anything short of that would amount to “robbery” and should not be allowed to stand.
The development places the Osun governorship race in an unusual position, with the court recognising the Turaki-led PDP candidate while the party itself has thrown its political weight behind Adeleke of the Accord Party just days before voters head to the polls.
In a related development, former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has predicted defeat for incumbent Governor Adeleke in Saturday’s governorship election, saying only a “miracle or magic” could save the incumbent.
Sani attributed his prediction to what he described as a divided opposition and a strong, united APC in the state.
The former lawmaker made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, also highlighting the role of Governor Uzodinma, who chairs the APC National Campaign Council for the Osun election.
Sani wrote, “Osun; a divided opposition and the fact that almost all of the ADC members in the state are genetically and spiritually from the APC, only a miracle or magic will save the incumbent Governor.
“In the absence of both miracle and magic, Hope Uzodinma will undoubtedly retrieve Osun for APC.”
