Accord has condemned the assassination attempt on its Osogbo Local Government Area Chairman, Asimiyu Ajibola, insisting it was a politically motivated attack.

The party further demands for a high-powered investigation by the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services to find the masterminds of the dastardly act and bring them to book.

The Osun State ruling party said it was grateful to the Almighty for preserving the life of the party Chairman while praying for quick recovery for him.

Two gunmen were said to have fired on a Toyota Corolla conveying the party Chairman and his associates in the MDS area of Osogbo on Wednesday night, 3rd June 2026, leading to gunshots wounds.

He was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital Osun State where doctors are battling to save his life.

The party condemned attacks on its members ahead of the 12th August 2026, governorship election in the state, saying it is outrageous, barbaric, despicable and wicked.

Accord, in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Barrester Maxwell Mgbudem, noted that in the recent past, its members have been victims of political violence in Osun State.

“Thugs associated with the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state have severally attacked Accord, Imole Campaign and public properties including billboards and party secretariat in attempt to harass, intimidate and subdue our members aware that the people have rejected their party,” Accord said.

“Sadly, security agencies where notified of the plots with a view to averting them, yet they were executed under their watch, and nobody has been prosecuted for these heinous crimes.

“Enough is enough of this political violence. It is obvious that the ballot is stronger than the gun.”

Accord said it abhors political bitterness in all its ramifications and has been promoting issue-based politics and campaign ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election.

It added, “Let it be clear that our great party will not be cowed, intimidated and suppressed by anti-democratic and reactionary forces in Osun State.

“Osun State is an Accord stronghold with a pro-people Governor who has transformed the state and delivered dividends of democracy to citizens. He deserves a second term in office. The good people of Osun State are in one accord with Governor Ademola Adeleke.

“Together, Osun State will be taken to a new level of development and prosperity.”

Former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi, has criticised the conduct of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, primary elections, describing them as poorly organised and heavily rigged.

In a post on X on Thursday, Amadi said the NDC’s primaries were the weakest among the major political parties that recently conducted internal elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, also conducted flawed primaries, but the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was comparatively better organised despite alleged irregularities.

He ranked ADC first in terms of organisation, APC second and NDC last, while maintaining that all three parties conducted heavily manipulated primaries.

Amadi argued that it was difficult to achieve credible primaries under the prevailing political environment and timelines, adding that the NDC’s performance could partly be attributed to the short period available for preparations.

Amadi wrote: “@NigeriaNDCHQ had bad primaries. Nothing special about it. @OfficialAPCNg primaries were similarly horrible.

“@ADCNig is the only major party that had a ‘well-organized’ primary. But it was similarly rigged. ‘Well-organized’ means ‘better coordinated’, ‘well-structured’. It does not mean ‘free and fair’.

“So, the verdict remains the same: ADC comes first and APC second on organization. NDC comes last. But, all had very rigged primaries. It is almost impossible to have ‘free and fair’ primaries under the current regime and timelines.

“NDC has done relatively better than other parties considering it had shorter time to do much. it could have done better with its primaries but many greedy and poor people in Nigerian politics. It has to step up now if it wants to be taken as Nigeria’s main opposition.”

The Bauchi State High Court No. 2 has dismissed a suit challenging the governorship primary of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and awarded a total cost of N2 million against the claimant, Barrister Idrees Gambo.

In its ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Kunaza Hamidu struck out Suit No. BA/181/2026 filed against the PRP, its governorship candidate, Senator Shehu Umar Buba, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judge held that the application before the court was no longer sustainable in view of developments that occurred during the proceedings.

Consequently, the court dismissed the suit and awarded N1 million each to the first and second defendants, bringing the total cost awarded against the claimant to N2 million.

Gambo, through his counsel, Ahmed Adam, had approached the court alleging that he was excluded from the PRP governorship primary, challenging what he described as irregularities in the party’s nomination process.

However, during the hearing, the claimant’s counsel informed the court of his intention to discontinue the case.

Counsel for the PRP, Muhammad Maidoki, opposed the move, arguing that the matter had progressed substantially and that parties had already joined issues before the court.

He urged the court to dismiss the suit rather than allow its withdrawal at that stage.

After considering submissions from both sides, the court upheld the defendants’ position, dismissed the case, and awarded costs against the claimant.

Speaking after the judgment, counsel to Senator Shehu Buba, Jibrin Jibrin, described the ruling as a welcome development that brings certainty to the political process and ends concerns generated by the litigation.

According to him, the judgment clears the way for political activities and preparations to proceed unhindered.

He also commended the judiciary for what he described as a decisive and timely intervention and urged stakeholders to exercise caution in making public comments on matters before the courts.

Reacting to the verdict, the Bauchi State chairman of the PRP, Abdulrahman Muazu, expressed satisfaction with the outcome and called on party members to remain calm, focused, and united as the party moves forward.