The Independent National Electoral Commission in Osun State has distanced itself from the purported primary of a faction of Accord Party that produced Bamigbola Clement as its candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship poll.
Bamigbola had emerged as the winner of the alleged primary held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Sunday.
This was days after the state governor Ademola Adeleke crossed from the Peoples Democratic Party to Accord Party to pick the latter’s governorship ticket.
Speaking against the backdrop of Sunday’s event, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in the state, Musa Olurode, said the commission played no part required by the constitution in the parallel exercise.
“We have monitored the only Accord Party primary a few days ago. The report has been submitted. INEC is not aware of any other party’s primary,” Olurode told Punchng.
The caretaker Chairman of Accord Party in Osun State, Babalola Akande, also sang from the same hymn sheet when he spoke with newsmen in Osogbo after Bamigbola was announced by the rival faction.
“For the final time, and for the sake of emphasis, by virtue of the valid primary election lawfully conducted on Wednesday, 10th December 2025, Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke is the sole and legally recognised governorship candidate of the Accord in Osun State. . No parallel structure, no impersonator, and no contrived spectacle can alter this legal reality,” Akande declared.
