By Ayo Kehinde
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has denied claims by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that Accord entered into a political arrangement to secure his victory in Saturday’s governorship election, insisting that the ADC was never part of the alliance that supported his re-election bid.
Adeleke’s denial came barely a day after the ADC publicly claimed that it had deliberately collaborated with the Accord Party to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from reclaiming power in the state.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, had said the party foresaw the danger of opposition votes being divided among several candidates and consequently worked with Accord to ensure that the APC did not benefit from the fragmentation.
But Adeleke, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the claim, making it clear that there was no agreement between his camp and the ADC before, during or after the election.
Adeleke acknowledged the contribution of political allies who supported his re-election campaign but specifically excluded the ADC from the coalition.
“I commend political partners who went all out to make Saturday a victory day for all Osun people. But we must clarify for the sake of history that ADC was never part of the alliance”, the governor said.
The statement appears to directly contradict Abdullahi’s earlier account that the ADC had identified the possibility of opposition votes being split and deliberately opted to cooperate with Accord.
According to the ADC spokesman, the party’s objective was not necessarily to secure the governorship for its candidate, Najeem Salaam, but to prevent the APC from returning to power.
The ADC candidate polled 17,180 votes in the election, while Adeleke secured 511,067 votes to defeat APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who obtained 444,815 votes.
Abdullahi had subsequently described the APC’s defeat as a victory for the ADC, arguing that the party’s strategic objective had been achieved even though its candidate finished third.
“We saw the possibility of collaboration”, Abdullahi had said, explaining that the ADC feared that opposition votes could be divided in a manner that would give the APC an advantage.
He had also specifically stated that the ADC “cooperated with the Accord party”, rather than claiming that the party formally directed its supporters to vote for Adeleke.
The governor’s response, however, draws a firm distinction between the ADC’s claim of cooperation and the coalition that he says actually worked for his re-election.
While rejecting the ADC’s claim, Adeleke again attributed his victory to God and the people of Osun State.
The governor’s position is that his re-election was the product of the mandate given to him by Osun voters and the sacrifices made by political allies who openly supported his campaign.
He also used the opportunity to extend an olive branch to residents across political and social divides, declaring that the election was over and that his administration would govern the entire state.
“Now that the election is over, I am a governor of all Osun people irrespective of political groups, religion or race”, Adeleke was quoted as saying.
