The Chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, Mr Victor Akande, has claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not appear on the ballot paper for the forthcoming governorship election in the state scheduled for 8 August 2026.
Akande made the assertion on Wednesday in Osogbo, the state capital, while speaking on The Frontliners, a media interactive programme organised by the Veteran Journalists Association in Osun State. According to him, the PDP logo would be absent from the ballot during the governorship poll.
“To the best of my knowledge, the umbrella is not going to be on the ballot paper on August 8th, 2026,” Akande said.
He also dismissed claims that the Accord Party was factionalised in the state, insisting that the party remained united despite reports of internal disputes. Akande urged the public to ignore calls by some individuals for the deregistration of the party, describing such demands as baseless.
The Accord chairman alleged that the emergence of factions within the party only began after Governor Ademola Adeleke joined the Accord Party, suggesting that the crisis was instigated by political actors whose plans had failed.
“There is no internal wrangling in our party. Before Senator Ademola Adeleke joined our party, we never had any faction. Why is it that it was when Ademola Adeleke joined the party that a faction came up?” he asked.
Responding to criticisms that Accord serves as a temporary platform for politicians who defect from major parties, Akande rejected the label of non-performance. He cited past electoral successes, including victories recorded during the era of former Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja, now the Olubadan of Ibadan, when Accord won multiple legislative seats.
Akande, who also serves as the Osun State chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, said the party had inaugurated grassroots mobilisation committees to strengthen Governor Adeleke’s re-election bid. He said the campaign machinery would reach every part of the state to secure support for the incumbent governor.
“We are doing everything within our capacity to make sure that every person in Osun State votes for Ademola Adeleke, the performing governor,” he said.
However, the Osun PDP Caretaker Secretary, Seyi Bamidele, swiftly dismissed Akande’s claim, describing it as “a joke taken too far.” Speaking, Bamidele insisted that the PDP had met all statutory requirements to participate in the election and would appear on the ballot.
“Saying that a party that has structure across the board will not have a candidate in the August 8 gubernatorial election is laughable,” Bamidele said, adding that the PDP would not only be on the ballot but would also win the election.
The controversy follows the emergence of Adeleke as the Accord Party’s governorship candidate on 10 December 2025. Subsequently, another faction of the party conducted a parallel primary in Osogbo, producing Clement Bamigbola as its candidate. The Accord Party national leadership, led by Maxwell Mgbudem, has since recognised Adeleke as the authentic candidate.
Before joining Accord, Adeleke had withdrawn from the PDP shortly before its primary. The PDP, however, went ahead with its primary, which produced Adebayo Adedamola as its governorship candidate.
