By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
The internal crisis over the Accord Party’s governorship ticket for the 2026 Osun State election has deepened, with rival factions maintaining sharply opposing positions on the party’s lawful candidate.
This follows widespread reports earlier in the week suggesting that Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke had been uploaded by the Accord Party as its governorship candidate on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
However, in a counter-statement issued on January 29, 2026, another faction of the party firmly rejected the claim, insisting that Mr. Kolawole Clement Bamigbola remains the duly nominated candidate of Accord for the August 8 governorship election.
The faction, operating under the leadership of Prof. Chris Imumolen, described the Adeleke-related reports as misleading and politically motivated, arguing that INEC had also received and acknowledged nomination documents submitted on behalf of Bamigbola at its Abuja headquarters.
According to the statement, the documents submitted included statutory nomination forms EC9 and EC13B, alongside the report of a governorship primary election conducted by the faction.
The group further maintained that issues surrounding the national leadership of the Accord Party are currently before the courts, stressing that no faction can lawfully claim final authority pending judicial determination.
Earlier media reports had quoted officials of the Osun State chapter of Accord as confirming Adeleke’s documentation with INEC, citing what they described as recognition of their primary election process.
INEC, however, has not issued any formal public statement confirming a final governorship candidate for Accord in Osun State, nor has the commission released its certified list of candidates for the 2026 election.
Political analysts note that such parallel claims are not unusual in situations involving intra-party leadership disputes, where competing executives submit different nomination documents to INEC while the courts resolve questions of legitimacy.
As of the time of filing this report, no court ruling has conclusively determined which Accord faction holds lawful authority over the party’s nomination process in Osun State.
Observers say the final outcome will depend on judicial pronouncements on the party’s leadership structure and the validity of the primaries conducted by the rival groups.
Meanwhile, both factions have continued to mobilise supporters, each insisting that the law and party records ultimately support their position.
INEC is expected to act strictly in line with court judgments once the disputes are resolved, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022.
— Newspot Nigeria
Clarification for Readers
While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it monitored the Accord Party governorship primary in Osun State which produced Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the broader leadership dispute within the party remains the subject of ongoing legal proceedings. As of the time of this report, no court has issued a final ruling determining the lawful national leadership of the Accord Party or invalidating the primary monitored by INEC. Consequently, Adeleke’s recognition by INEC stands administratively, pending the final determination of all related court matters.
