Osogbo, Osun State — Governor Ademola Adeleke has officially emerged as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party for the 2026 Osun State election.
This followed the party’s primary held in Osogbo, which was observed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other accredited monitors.
In a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke secured 145 votes while five votes were declared void.
According to him, He was the sole aspirant in the contest and accepted the party’s nomination with a pledge to consolidate on what he described as the gains of his current administration.
The governor used the occasion to unveil an upgraded five-point agenda for the forthcoming election, which focuses on citizens and workers’ welfare; infrastructure development for economic growth; agro-industrial expansion to empower youths; reforms in health, education, and social care; and the creation of a better business climate for employment generation.
“We are today launching the battle for continuity of progress, good governance and democratic dividends,” Adeleke said. “My candidacy signals the sustenance of the golden movement when the light of development continues to shine across our state. We vow never to relent in the rewarding service to our people.
“We note today as the point of resolution never to go back to the dark days but to advance further into the journey of modernisation. For a long time, Osun has witnessed failed promises. In the last three years, we have actualized the yearnings and aspirations of our people. Ours is a government of talk and do.
“In the forthcoming polls, I challenge likely opponents to run on their records. In their days in government, what were their deliverables to the people of Osun state? How did they run or manage the state? What legacy did they leave for the people?
“In their days in power, they failed the people; they failed their party; they even failed themselves. Today, the people reject them. Even their own partymen and women are up in arms against them.
“I am proud to run on my record of achievements of the last three years. Despite harassment and blockages, my administration outperforms, outshines and surpasses the records of the opposition. I have raised the bar of governance beyond rhetoric and deceit. Our achievements can be seen and felt by the people.
“That Osun moved from number 33 under the APC government to number 7 under my leadership in a national examination rating cannot be disputed. That my government reduced the Osun infrastructure deficit from over 80 percent in 2022 by over 40 percent as of 2025 is attested to by many experts. That we paid over 40 percent of the Osun inherited debt is confirmed by the Debt Management Office. That we came first in access to primary health care across the South West is in the public domain.
“Our governance delivery proved governance can be real, that leadership can actually serve the people, that there are leaders still committed to the service of the people. I belong to that circle of leaders who prioritise meeting the aspirations and needs of our people.
“To the good people of Osun, the 2026 race is not just about running on our record; we are bringing innovations and new packages to take our people to new levels of development. I am bold to announce that I have substantially delivered on my five-point agenda, which I promised the people of Osun state in 2022,” the governor stated.
Presenting the certificate of return to Governor Adeleke, the National Chairman of the Accord Party, Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, said the outcome of the primary reflected the party’s respect for due process and internal democracy.
He described Adeleke’s emergence as divine and expressed confidence that the governor would secure a decisive victory in the 2026 governorship election.
