Amid reports of a factional governorship primary in Osun State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it neither received notice nor monitored such an exercise.
INEC said it only monitored the duly notified Accord Party governorship primary conducted earlier in Osogbo, the state capital, and has since submitted its report on that exercise.
A faction of the Accord Party was reported to have held a parallel primary on Sunday, producing Bamigbola Clement as its candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship election. The exercise reportedly featured delegate accreditation and heavy security presence at the venue.
However, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Musa Olurode, dismissed the exercise, stating that the commission was unaware of any such primary.
“We monitored the only Accord Party primary a few days ago, and our report has been submitted. INEC is not aware of any other primary conducted by the party”, Olurode said.
The monitored primary produced Senator Ademola Adeleke as the party’s candidate, with Adeleke emerging unopposed. According to the party’s electoral committee, he polled 145 votes out of 150 accredited delegates drawn from the state’s 30 local government areas, with five votes voided.
Announcing the result, the committee’s secretary, Abdulazeez Salaudeen, said the process was conducted in line with electoral guidelines and witnessed by INEC officials.
Reacting to the reported factional exercise, Accord Party Chairman in Osun State, Victor Akande, described it as illegitimate and urged the public to disregard it, insisting that Adeleke remains the party’s sole governorship candidate.
Akande said the party had followed due process and notified INEC of its valid primary, adding that any other exercise held outside that framework had no legal standing.
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