Adeleke rejects ADC claims of an electoral deal, saying his Osun re-election victory was secured through the support of God, voters and political partners.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has firmly rejected claims by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the party helped secure his victory in the August 15 governorship election, insisting that there was no electoral deal or partnership between them.
Adeleke, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said the ADC was not part of any alliance that campaigned for his re-election before, during or after the election.
The governor’s response followed comments by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who said the party had strategically collaborated with the Accord Party to prevent the opposition vote from splitting and stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning the election.
Adeleke, however, attributed his victory to God and the people of Osun State, while acknowledging political partners who worked to secure what he described as a victory for the people.
“I commend political partners who went all out to make Saturday a victory day for all Osun people,” the governor said.
“But we must clarify, for the sake of history, that ADC was never part of the alliance.”
The governor further declared that, with the election concluded, he would govern all residents of Osun State irrespective of their political affiliation, religion or ethnicity.
“Now that the election is over, I am a governor of all Osun people, irrespective of political groups, religion or race,” he said.
Adeleke Defeated APC By 66,252 Votes
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15 election after he secured 511,067 votes.
His closest challenger, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, polled 444,815 votes, leaving Adeleke with a winning margin of 66,252 votes.
ADC candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.
INEC’s declaration confirmed Adeleke’s re-election after a closely watched contest involving the incumbent governor, the APC and the ADC.
The commission had scheduled the Osun governorship election for August 15, 2026, as part of its off-cycle election calendar.
The disagreement over the role played by the ADC has introduced a new political dimension to the aftermath of the election.
While ADC officials have pointed to strategic cooperation with Accord as a factor that helped prevent the anti-APC vote from being divided, Adeleke’s camp has rejected any suggestion that the governor entered into an electoral arrangement with the party.
The controversy comes despite the fact that Adeleke contested the election under the Accord platform, while Najeem Salaam was the ADC’s governorship candidate. INEC’s final candidate list had identified Adeleke as the Accord candidate and Salaam as the ADC candidate ahead of the poll.
With the election now concluded, Adeleke said his priority would be governance rather than partisan divisions, pledging to serve the entire state.
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