The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says it collaborated with the Accord Party during the August 15 Osun State governorship election to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from reclaiming power in the state.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this on Trust TV on Monday while reacting to the party’s performance in the election.
The ADC governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam, polled 17,180 votes, while the incumbent governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won with 511,067 votes. The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, came second with 444,815 votes.
Abdullahi said the ADC had identified the possibility of opposition votes being divided, which could have given the APC an advantage. He said the party therefore saw the need for collaboration with Accord to prevent such an outcome.
He said the ADC did not consider Salaam’s performance a failure because its primary objective was to prevent the APC from returning to power in Osun State. According to him, the defeat of the APC constituted a victory for the ADC.
Abdullahi clarified that the ADC did not specifically direct its supporters to vote for Adeleke but worked with the Accord Party as part of a deliberate decision backed by the party’s leadership.
He said the development demonstrated that opposition parties could defeat the ruling APC in the 2027 presidential election if they worked together, adding that the outcome had justified the confidence placed in the collaboration.
Abdullahi, however, said the ADC would not claim sole credit for Adeleke’s victory, stressing that the people of Osun State deserved the credit. He also acknowledged Adeleke’s ability to emerge victorious despite what he described as the odds against him.