The race for the August 8, 2026 governorship election in Osun State has taken a new turn following the emergence of another governorship candidate on the platform of the Accord Party, shortly after Governor Ademola Adeleke was confirmed as the party’s flagbearer.
The latest development arose from a parallel primary election reportedly organised by a faction of the party in Osogbo, the state capital, where a different aspirant was produced as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming election.
At the end of the exercise, Clement Bamigbola was announced as the winner after being adopted by delegates at the factional primary, which was said to have been held at Regina Suites, Osogbo. He was returned unopposed through a voice vote.
Organisers of the primary claimed that about 300 delegates participated in the exercise, after which Bamigbola was officially presented with the Accord Party flag to signify his emergence as the governorship candidate.
This parallel emergence came just days after the recognised leadership of the Accord Party affirmed Governor Ademola Adeleke as its sole candidate for the 2026 governorship election, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party and his clearance as the only aspirant.
The development has exposed deepening divisions within the Accord Party, with competing factions disputing control of the party’s structure and questioning the legitimacy of the processes that produced Adeleke as candidate.
The group that conducted the parallel primary reportedly accused the party’s national leadership of failing to follow due process, a claim that informed its decision to organise an alternative nomination exercise.
As political activities intensify ahead of the election, attention is now on the Independent National Electoral Commission, whose recognition of candidates submitted by political parties is expected to determine the final outcome of the Accord Party’s internal crisis in Osun State.
