The 2026 Osun governorship election took a fresh turn on Thursday as a faction of the Accord Party led by its National Chairman, Prof. Christopher Imumolen, withdrew its support for Governor Ademola Adeleke and endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Imumolen announced the decision at the APC governorship mega rally in Osogbo, where he said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had resolved to back Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.
He urged members of the Accord Party in Osun to vote for Oyebamiji in Saturday’s governorship election.
“As Chairman of the Accord Party, and with all our National Working Committee members here present, we withdraw our support for Governor Ademola Adeleke and support AMBO. All our members are enjoined to vote for AMBO and the APC in Saturday’s election,” he said.
The development came a day after the Accord faction announced the suspension of its planned mega rally in Osogbo, citing its inability to mobilise party members amid an internal crisis.
The endorsement has further exposed the deep divisions within the Accord Party, which has been embroiled in a leadership dispute involving Imumolen and the faction led by Maxwell Mgbudem.
Imumolen has previously rejected Adeleke’s emergence as the Accord candidate, arguing that his faction conducted a separate primary. Mgbudem’s faction, however, has maintained that Imumolen was expelled from the party and has no authority to speak for Accord.
The dispute became particularly significant after Adeleke left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined Accord to seek re-election. The PDP subsequently adopted his candidacy and directed its state structures to support his bid on the Accord platform.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed Adeleke as the Accord candidate and Oyebamiji as the APC candidate among the 14 political parties cleared for the Osun governorship election.
At Thursday’s rally, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, declared that the APC was on the verge of victory and urged Osun residents to support Oyebamiji.
Uzodinma said APC governors had gathered in the state to demonstrate solidarity with the party’s candidate and urged voters to align Osun with other party-controlled states.
“Vote AMBO, vote prosperity, vote Osun for the state to be prosperous. We 31 state governors are in the state in solidarity and to welcome the state to the fold of the progressives,” he said.
“The party is already on the verge of victory. Vote on Saturday and don’t be intimidated by their waves of violence,” Uzodinma added.
Oyebamiji, in his address, promised to run a people-oriented administration focused on improving residents’ welfare and delivering tangible dividends of democracy.
He said his administration would prioritise good governance and end what he described as politics without corresponding impact on citizens.
“Our government that will be elected on August 15, 2026, will be a government of the people, and we will stand on your mandate. No dance anymore, but strict governance. I have the mandate to touch the lives of the people of Osun,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and APC leader in Osun, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, urged residents to vote for Oyebamiji, describing him as a tested and trusted candidate.
“Let’s support Oyebamiji. His track record is there compared to how other candidates have fared,” he said.
The endorsement by Imumolen’s faction comes at a critical stage of the campaign, with Adeleke seeking a second term and the APC mounting a strong challenge.
Adeleke joined Accord in November 2025 after the PDP failed to secure a place on INEC’s final list of candidates for the election amid its national leadership crisis. He subsequently emerged as Accord’s candidate through a primary process recognised by the party faction led by Mgbudem.
The Governor has continued to insist that Accord will be on the ballot and has campaigned on his record in office, including infrastructure, healthcare, education and workers’ welfare.
Oyebamiji, meanwhile, has presented himself as the APC candidate backed by President Bola Tinubu and the party’s national leadership, while campaigning on governance, accountability and improved welfare.
The Osun election is scheduled for Saturday, 15 August, with 14 candidates on the ballot.
The contest between Adeleke and Oyebamiji is widely regarded as the major battle for the governorship, while candidates of the African Democratic Congress and other parties are also seeking to upset the two leading contenders.
The latest endorsement adds another layer to an increasingly competitive contest, with the Accord Party’s internal divisions now playing out publicly just two days before voters decide who will govern Osun for the next four years.
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