The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that it silently worked behind the scene with the Accord Party during last Saturday, August 15, Osun State governorship election to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from returning to power in the state.
National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who stated this while reacting to the party’s performance in the election, said the opposition party had anticipated that a division of votes by the opposition could hand victory to the APC, thus prompted the party to seek cooperation with Accord.
Abdullahi said the ADC saw the possibility of collaboration and saw the possibility early enough that if it decided to go full throttle, the opposition would divide the votes which would have given the APC victory.
The spokesperson of the ADC also said that the decision to work with Accord was deliberate and had the backing of the ADC leadership saying; “And that was why we saw the opportunity to work together, and that was what we did.
In the words of Abdullahi; “The ADC did not consider its candidate’s performance a failure, because its larger political objective was to ensure that the APC did not reclaim the state.
“That is why we can confidently celebrate what is going on in Osun, because for us, victory means that APC was defeated. The ADC’s failure to produce the governor-elect should therefore not be interpreted as a defeat for the party.
“So, we don’t see the fact that our governorship candidate did not emerge as an occasion of defeat or failure. We cooperated with the Accord party. The failure, the defeat of the APC, was a real victory for us,” he said.
Abdullahi further said that the outcome of the election had wider implications for the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying that political parties opposed to the APC could replicate the Osun strategy at the national level.
The ADC spokesperson also said the Osun experience demonstrated that opposition parties could defeat the ruling party if they were prepared to work together.
According to Abdullahi; “It’s something that was deliberate, and we are glad that the outcome has justified the confidence that everyone has put in the process, and it has proved that the opposition working together can actually defeat this incumbent, no matter how awesome they are”.
Abdullahi dismissed attempts to credit the ADC alone for Adeleke’s victory, stressing that the electorate remained the decisive force behind the result.
He further said; “When I say that we are not taking credit, we are saying that the credit belongs to the people of Osun State. Adeleke deserved recognition for securing victory despite the challenges surrounding the contest.
“The victory belongs to Ademola Adeleke, who in spite of all odds, still managed to emerge as the governor of Osun State,” he enthused.
