The Osun State All Progressives Congress, APC, Governorship Campaign Council has said the judgment of the Federal High Court derecognising the Accord has cast doubt on Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Head of its Media and Publicity Committee, Oluremi Omowaiye, the council claimed it had taken note of the court’s decision and the directive to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to take necessary steps in compliance with the judgment.

The APC campaign council said it respected the authority of the court and the principles of constitutional democracy, adding that the ruling carried significant implications for Adeleke, who is seeking a second term on the platform of the Accord Party.

“Unless and until the decision of the Federal High Court is set aside by a competent appellate court, Governor Ademola Adeleke will not be contesting the August 15, 2026 the governorship election in Osun State under the banner of Accord,” the statement read.

The council stated that the judgment could affect other candidates sponsored by the party for state and national legislative positions, maintaining that the development represented a major setback for the governor’s political future.

According to the APC, “aside from the Federal High Court ruling, there are ongoing legal disputes over the national leadership of the Accord Party. If the courts eventually recognise an opposing faction, INEC could be unable to accept Adeleke as the party’s validly nominated governorship candidate.

“The crisis over the authentic leadership of the party is yet to be conclusively resolved. The governor’s political challenges stemmed from unresolved legal issues that predated his entry into the party.”

The statement also claimed that Adeleke’s possible absence from the ballot would deny voters the opportunity to assess his administration at the polls. 

APC alleged that residents have experienced economic hardship, challenges in the education and health sectors, and job losses under the current administration.

The campaign council accused the Adeleke administration of mismanaging public resources and alleged that several projects and financial transactions carried out by the government would require scrutiny in the future.

While mentioning the N99.5 billion Ede Airport project, the alleged diversion of a N2 billion Federal Government grant for buses, payments to alleged ghost workers and the management of public revenue, it insisted that accountability would remain an issue regardless of the outcome of the governorship race.

“Even if Governor Adeleke escapes the verdict of the electorate because he is disqualified from the race, he cannot escape the long arm of justice and the inevitable demand for accountability,” the statement added.

The APC campaign council urged residents of Osun State to remain peaceful, vigilant and committed to democratic principles ahead of the August 15 of the governorship election.

Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has thrown his weight behind Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of next year’s general elections.

In a video sighted by DAILY POST, Melaye described Obi as someone who has the intellectual and administrative capacity of being a President.

He said Nigeria needs a unifier who has the capacity to address insecurity.

The former lawmaker said, “Fellow countrymen and women, I’m here to address you once again in the course of our nation’s history. We need a unifier. I’m here to address Nigerians, especially my brother and friend, the former Governor of Anambra State, and the former Vice Presidential candidate of our political party, Peter Obi.

“He is one of the finest Nigerians who is intellectually mobile and administratively sagacious. He’s a great Nigerian, and by the grace of God, he has the potential of being a great president.

“I celebrate your conscience of the Nigerian youths and public on governance and building a new Nigeria. So I want to say it is time for us to think.

“I encourage the crusade, the movement started by Peter Obi, to continue, move from campus to campus, move from community to community, move from one progressive group and organization from this country to another to campaign for the new Nigeria that is to come and be part of the movement to rebuild, to restructure, to reorganize, and reboot Nigeria as a country.

“We must speak the truth, and the truth is the truth. The truth of the matter is we need a unifier. We need one Nigerian that can solve the problem of insecurity in this country. We need a Nigerian that will have intel from every security facet of our national life.”

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