Osun Governor Denies ADC Collaboration Claim

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has denied claims by the African Democratic Congress that the party collaborated with him to secure his reelection victory in the governorship election held on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The governor rejected the assertion on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, stating the ADC played no role in his campaign's "rainbow coalition."

The dispute follows comments from ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi, who suggested the party's low vote tally was a result of strategic cooperation with Adeleke's camp. Speaking on Monday, Abdullahi stated the collaboration was part of political calculations to prevent the opposition from splitting votes, which could have allowed the All Progressives Congress candidate to win. He said, "We saw the possibility of collaboration... that was why we saw the opportunity to work together, and that was what happened."

In the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke, running on the Accord Party platform, the winner with 511,067 votes. He defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who received 444,815 votes. The victory margin of 66,252 votes was more than double the margin from the 2022 election. The...