The leadership of Accord Party in Osun State has distanced itself from Christopher Imumolen’s endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, insisting that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains Accord Party’s candidate for Saturday’s election.
The development came hours after Mr Imumolen appeared at the APC’s final campaign rally in Osogbo on Thursday, where he declared that Accord had withdrawn its support for Mr Adeleke and directed the party’s members to vote for Mr Oyebamiji.
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But in a statement issued in Osogbo on Thursday, the Osun State chapter of Accord rejected the endorsement, describing Mr Imumolen as an “impersonator” and insisting that he does not represent the party’s leadership.
The statement, signed by the state chairman, Victor Akande, said the party’s recognised National Chairman remains Maxwell Mgbudem and that the party’s National Working Committee had not endorsed any candidate other than Mr Adeleke.
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“The Accord Party and its National Working Committee still recognises Senator Ademola Adeleke as its only candidate for the Osun Governorship election,” the statement said.
The party urged voters to disregard Mr Imumolen’s declaration, which it described as an attempt to create confusion within the party days before the election.
At the APC mega rally earlier on Thursday, Mr Imumolen introduced himself as the National Chairman of Accord and announced that the party had withdrawn its support for Mr Adeleke.
“As the national chairman of [the] Accord Party, we have taken down our support for Ademola Adeleke and today, we declare our support for Ambo (Oyebamiji),” he said.
What is behind the competing claims?
The dispute is rooted in a longstanding leadership crisis within Accord, with both Mr Imumolen and Mr Mgbudem having at different times laid claim to the leadership of the party.
However, INEC’s latest records list Maxwell Mgbudem as the National Chairman of Accord and Adebukola Abiola as National Secretary.
The Mgbudem-led leadership has previously rejected Mr Imumolen’s claim to the chairmanship. In April, Mr Mgbudem said Mr Imumolen had been expelled from the party and described his attempt to claim the chairmanship as illegitimate.
Mr Imumolen, however, has continued to claim that he is the authentic national chairman and in April led supporters to INEC’s headquarters in Abuja demanding recognition. Reports at the time documented the competing claims, while noting that INEC recognised the Mgbudem-led leadership.
The disagreement has also spilled into the party’s activities ahead of elections, with competing factions conducting separate political activities and claiming authority over the party structure.
Against this background, Mr Imumolen’s appearance at the APC rally and endorsement of Mr Oyebamiji has now triggered another confrontation between the two camps.
Accord: ‘Adeleke remains our candidate’
Mr Akande, the Osun Accord chairman, said the party was “highly embarrassed” by what he described as the endorsement and accused the APC of attempting to exploit the party’s internal dispute.
He alleged that the APC had previously attempted to create divisions within Accord by supporting a parallel leadership structure.
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“The public should take note that the Accord Party and its National Working Committee still recognises Senator Ademola Adeleke as its only candidate for the Osun Governorship election,” he said.
He also described the APC’s action as “desperation” ahead of Saturday’s election and urged Osun voters not to be misled by the endorsement.
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