The leadership of the Accord Party in Osun State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to organise an illegal parallel primary in a bid to destabilise the party following the emergence of Governor Ademola Adeleke as its candidate for the 2026 governorship election.
The allegation follows internal disagreements within a faction of the Accord Party, which had earlier protested Adeleke’s emergence, claiming that the party’s national leadership led by Barrister Maxwell Ngbudem lacked legal backing.
Reacting to the situation, the Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Pastor Victor Akande, described the alleged plan as a deliberate attempt to sow confusion and crisis in the state under the guise of party activities. In a statement, Akande said the move was another scheme by the APC, which he claimed is unsettled by Governor Adeleke’s growing popularity and widespread acceptance among the people of Osun State since his declaration and alignment with the Accord Party.
According to Akande, the APC is struggling to match the political momentum and support that Adeleke currently enjoys, and has therefore resorted to what he described as covert tactics. He alleged that the ruling party is sponsoring one of its card-carrying members to pose as an Accord Party aspirant in order to trigger internal conflict and destabilise both the party and the state.
The Accord Party chairman stressed that the party is law-abiding and committed to democratic principles, insisting that only processes recognised by its duly constituted national leadership are valid. He warned that any parallel primary or aspirant emerging outside this framework should be considered invalid, null and void.
Akande also called on security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant authorities to be alert to what he described as a plot capable of disrupting public peace, adding that Osun State has moved beyond political chaos.
In response, the APC dismissed the allegation. Speaking through its Director of Media, Chief Kola Olabisi, the party said it was not concerned with the internal affairs of other political parties. He stated that the APC had already conducted its primary and successfully selected its candidate for the 2026 election, adding that the party was unaware of any other party’s primary process.
