Osun 2026: Governor Adeleke emerges Accord’s governorship candidate

Governor Ademola Adeleke has been confirmed as the Accord Party’s governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election after delegates unanimously endorsed him in a primary held on Wednesday in the state.

According to the party’s national organising secretary and chairman of the screening committee, Ibe ThankGod, all 150 accredited delegates participated in the primary.

While five of the ballots were declared invalid, the rest of 145 were counted as valid votes, all of which went to governor Adeleke, the party officials said.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview, Mr ThankGod said although the governor was the only aspirant, the party maintained that its internal rules required a formal confirmation vote rather than an automatic ticket.

He said delegates were therefore required to validate his candidature, which they did unanimously, leading to his declaration as winner and presentation of the party flag.

“Being the sole candidate does not give you an automatic ticket. The delegates will also have to confirm you. So today the delegates overwhelmingly confirmed him as the flag bearer of Accord,” Mr ThankGod explained.

He added that the process which was transparent and unanimous had in attendance the deputy governor of Osun State, Kola Adewusi, the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Kazeem Akinleye, and other political office holders.

Key national leaders of the party were present, including the National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, who presented the certificate of return and victory to Governor Adeleke.

Mr Mgbudem said the primary confirmed Accord as a party of due process and internal democracy.

He described the emergence of Governor Adeleke as divine even as he expressed strong optimism that Governor Adeleke will resoundingly win his re-election.

The Osun State governorship election is scheduled to be held on 8 August 2026.

The governor announced his emergence as Accord’s candidate in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Wednesday.

With his emergence as the party’s candidate, Mr Adeleke has beaten the 15 December deadline fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for all political parties interested in the governorship poll to conclude their primaries.

He used the occasion to unveil an upgraded five point agenda for the 2026 race. According to Mr Rasheed, the five points are integrated citizens and workers’ welfare; infrastructure consolidation for economic prosperity; Increased agro-Industrial expansion for youth empowerment; innovations for health, education and social care; and Improved Business Environment for Job Creation.

“We are today launching the battle for continuity of progress, good governance and democratic dividends. My candidacy signals the sustenance of the golden movement when the light of development continues to shine across our state. We vow never to relent in the rewarding service to our people.

“We note today as the point of resolution never to go back to the dark days but to advance further into the journey of modernisation. For a long time, Osun has witnessed failed promises. In the last three years, we actualise the yearnings and aspirations of our people. Ours is a government of talk and do,” he said.

2026 poll

On Monday, 1 December, Governor Adeleke announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He cited the national leadership crisis within the party as the reason for his resignation.

“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my Membership of the Peoples Democratic Party with immediate effect.

“I thank the Peoples Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Represented Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the People’s Democratic Party,” the governor stated in the letter titled ‘Resignation of my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’.

A week later on Tuesday, he announced his move to the Accord as the platform where he would seek reelection in the Osun State governorship election, although he said he had quietly joined the party since 6 November, in the same manner he claimed to have left the PDP earlier on 4 November.

A PREMIUM TIMES report had detailed the circumstances that prompted the governor’s decision to leave the PDP and factors that ruled out the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), parties with considerable presence in the state, as an option in his search for a new party. The analysis concluded that Accord remained his most viable option.

Responding to questions on the party’s confidence ahead of the poll, Mr ThankGod said Mr Adeleke remains a formidable contender going into 2026, adding that the governor’s policy record closely mirrors Accord’s ideological focus on welfare and human development.

He argued that Governor Adeleke’s defection to Accord does not diminish his support base.

“He is not a showman. He doesn’t brag about the projects he has accomplished or done. These projects speak for themselves… It has to do with the people of Osun who know him already.

“Our party is bent on welfarism… It is the only party whose manifesto is friendly to the masses… It has to do with putting food on the table of the masses. Accord manifesto is all centered on the welfarism of the masses,” he said.

Run on your records, Adeleke challenges opponents

Governor Adeleke challenged likely opponents to “run on their records”.

“In their days in governments, what were their deliverables to the people of Osun State ? How did they run or manage the state? What legacy did they leave for the people?” the governor asked.

“In their days in power, they failed the people; they failed their party; they even failed themselves. Today, the people reject them. Even their own party men and women are up in arms against them.

“I am proud to run on my records of achievements of the last three years. Despite harassment and blockages, my administration outperforms, outshines and surpasses the records of the opposition. I have raised the bar of governance beyond rhetorics and deceits. Our achievements can be seen and felt by the people.

“That Osun moved from number 33 under the APC government to number 7 under my leadership in a national examination rating cannot be disputed. That my government reduces the Osun infrastructure deficit from over 80 percent in 2022 by over 40 percent as of 2025 is attested to by many experts. That we paid over 40 percent of Osun inherited debt is confirmed by the Debt Management Office. That we came first in access to primary health care across the South west is in the public domain.”

Boasting about his achievements in office, he said, on his watch, governance delivery in Osun State “proved governance can be real, that leadership can actually serve the people, that there are leaders still committed to the service of the people. I belong to that circle of leaders who prioritises meeting the aspirations and needs of our people.”

“To the good people of Osun, the 2026 race is not just about running on our records, we are bringing new innovations and new packages to take our people to new levels of development. I am bold to announce that I have substantially delivered on my five point agenda which I promised the people of Osun state in 2022”, the governor noted.