The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has rejected claims by the African Democratic Congress that his recent re-election victory was secured through an electoral deal between his party and the opposition outfit.
The governor countered assertions made by ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, who suggested the party deliberately stepped back its campaign efforts to avoid splitting opposition votes in favor of the All Progressives Congress.
In a statement posted to his official X account on Tuesday, Adeleke clarified that no alliance, formal or informal, existed with the ADC at any point during the campaign.
“I had no electoral deal or partnership with the ADC before, during, or after the governorship election,” Adeleke wrote. “For the sake of history, it is important to clarify that the ADC was never part of the rainbow coalition that canvassed, mobilised, and supported our campaign.”
The public dispute follows comments from Abdullahi explaining the ADC’s modest vote count in the poll. According to the spokesperson, party leaders recognized early on that running a full-throttle campaign risked fragmenting the opposition vote, creating a path to victory for the ruling APC.
“We saw the possibility earlier enough that if we decided to go full throttle, the possibility that the opposition would divide the votes and the APC would take the victory was there,” Abdullahi said. “And that was why we saw the opportunity to work together, and that was what happened.”
Adeleke rejected that characterization entirely, attributing his election outcome strictly to voter support and divine providence while expressing gratitude to the political partners who formally joined his campaign efforts.
Official election results and voting logistics for Osun State elections can be accessed directly through the Independent National Electoral Commission Portal.
