The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has disclosed that it worked with the Accord Party during the August 15 Osun State governorship election to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from returning to power in the state.
ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi revealed this during an interview with Trust TV on Monday while discussing the party’s performance in the election.
The ADC’s candidate, Najeem Salaam, polled 17,180 votes, while incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won the election with 511,067 votes.
APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji finished second with 444,815 votes.
Explaining the ADC’s relatively low score, Abdullahi said the party had recognised before the election that a division of opposition votes could create an opening for the APC to win.
He said this concern influenced the decision to cooperate with Accord rather than allow the opposition vote to become fragmented.
“We saw the possibility of collaboration,” Abdullahi said, explaining that the party believed a divided opposition could hand victory to the APC.
According to him, the cooperation was intentional and was supported by the ADC leadership.
Abdullahi said the party therefore did not regard its candidate’s failure to win the governorship as an electoral defeat, arguing that its primary objective was to stop the APC from reclaiming control of Osun State.
“For us, victory means that APC was defeated,” he said.
He also confirmed that the ADC cooperated with Accord when asked whether the party had directed its supporters to vote for Adeleke.
The ADC spokesman said the experience demonstrated that opposition parties could defeat the governing APC in 2027 if they were able to work together rather than split their votes among several candidates.
However, Abdullahi rejected the idea that the ADC should take credit for Adeleke’s victory, saying the people of Osun State deserved the recognition.
He described Adeleke as the rightful beneficiary of the election and said the governor succeeded despite the political challenges surrounding the contest.
ADC Rejects Aregbesola Factor
Abdullahi also dismissed suggestions that the ADC’s performance was affected by resentment towards the party’s National Secretary and former Osun governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
He described the claim as inaccurate, saying ADC leaders spent time in Osun before the election and witnessed the support Aregbesola continued to enjoy among residents.
The spokesman also rejected claims concerning Aregbesola’s treatment of civil servants during his tenure, arguing that such criticisms did not reflect his continued popularity in the state.
Abdullahi maintained that the decision to cooperate with Accord was a strategic political choice rather than an attempt to settle scores with Aregbesola or any other political figure.
The ADC’s position could have wider implications for opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly as parties outside the APC and other major political platforms consider possible alliances.