By Abdulraheem Kawthar Adenike | Fact Frontier.
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A leadership dispute within the national body of the Accord Party spills into Osun State, leading to two parallel primaries and a looming legal battle over legitimacy.
The political landscape in Osun State was thrown into confusion this December as the Accord Party fractured into two camps, each producing a separate governorship candidate and plunging the party into an unprecedented internal crisis. At the heart of the dispute is a bitter national leadership tussle, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) caught in the middle, recognizing only one of the contested primaries.
The sequence of events began on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, when a segment of the Accord Party, operating under the national chairmanship of Maxwell Mgbudem, conducted a governorship primary in Osogbo. The exercise, monitored by officials from INEC, saw the state's incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke, emerge as the sole candidate. According to reports from the primary, Adeleke secured a resounding 145 out of 150 delegate votes, positioning him as the party's flagbearer for the upcoming election.
However, the apparent unity was shattered just four days later. On Sunday, December 14, a rival faction of the party convened a separate primary at a different location in Osogbo. In a starkly different process decided by a voice vote, this gathering of approximately 300 delegates selected Clement Bamigbola as their governorship candidate. This move instantly created a dual candidacy, challenging the legitimacy of Adeleke's nomination and exposing the deep divisions within the party's ranks.
INEC's Official Stance
In the face of this confusion, the electoral umpire, INEC, has taken a definitive position. Speaking to clarify the commission's awareness and records, the Osun State Public Relations Officer for INEC, Mrs. Adediwura, stated unequivocally that the commission only recognized the primary held on December 10.
We are not aware of any other party’s primary aside from the one that was held on Wednesday, 10th of December, 2025, where the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, emerged as the candidate,she said. This statement, as reported, underscores that INEC's official monitoring and documentation are solely for the exercise that produced Governor Adeleke, rendering the factional primary an internal party affair with no current standing in the electoral process.
Root of the Crisis: A National Leadership Battle
The origin of the parallel primaries is not in Osun but at the national level of the Accord Party. The faction that conducted the December 14 primary operates under a leadership that rejects the authority of National Chairman Maxwell Mgbudem. The conflict escalated to the judiciary well before the Osun primaries. On December 3, 2025, this faction filed a lawsuit at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, seeking, among other reliefs,
an order restraining the 1st defendant (Maxwell Mgbudem) from holding or conducting the Osun State governorship primaries.
This legal action frames the Osun dispute as a direct consequence of a fight over the soul of the party. The faction argues that Mgbudem's leadership is illegitimate and, therefore, any party activity, including primaries, conducted under his authority is invalid.
Reactions and Accusations
The state chapter of the Accord Party, aligned with Mgbudem and Adeleke, has moved swiftly to condemn the factional primary. They have declared the exercise that produced Clement Bamigbola as "invalid, null, and void." Furthermore, they have leveled serious accusations against political opponents, alleging that the rival primary is
a clandestine plot by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize the Accord Party.The APC has publicly denied any involvement, calling the accusation a diversion from the Accord Party's internal mismanagement.
Implications and the Road Ahead
The current impasse presents a significant challenge. For the electorate and the electoral process, INEC's clear stance provides temporary clarity: Governor Ademola Adeleke is the only Accord Party candidate on their radar. However, the political and legal legitimacy of his candidacy is now under a cloud contested by a sizable faction of his own party.
The situation creates an unstable foundation for the Accord Party's campaign in Osun State, potentially splitting its voter base and damaging its credibility. All eyes are now on the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The pending lawsuit holds the key to resolving the national leadership question, and its judgment will directly determine which of the two December primaries—and by extension, which candidate—is legally recognized as the authentic representative of the Accord Party.
Until the court rules, the party remains a house divided, with INEC's ledger listing Adeleke as its standard-bearer, while the echoes of a rival's voice vote promise a protracted battle both in the judiciary and on the political field.
