A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, has declared his support for Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party as he seeks a second term in Osun State, despite belonging to an opposition party that is competing against him.
Momodu made his position known in a statement on Tuesday, calling on opposition parties to put aside personal and political interests and rally behind Adeleke ahead of the August 15 governorship election in the state.
The former presidential aspirant reaffirmed that he remained a committed member of the ADC.
He said his decision to join the party was based on the move by major opposition figures to establish a broad coalition aimed at challenging what he called the “APC cankerworm.”
“I joined ADC on the basis that prominent members of opposition parties in Nigeria decided to form a broad coalition of forces against the APC cankerworm that has almost destroyed our economy, social cohesion, religious tolerance and democratic institutions and separation of powers,” the statement read.
Momodu said he had previously expressed concern about the possibility of rivalry and personal ambitions undermining cooperation among opposition leaders.
He said he had also expected the coalition to build on the political strength already represented within the ADC, which had at one point included the second, third and fourth-placed candidates from the 2023 presidential election.
“I had prayed fervently against the demon, and clash, of voluptuous egos. I wished we won’t have to reinvent the wheels since the ADC initially paraded the second, third and fourth leading candidates in the 2023 presidential election,” he said.
According to him, the proposed opposition alliance eventually failed to take shape in the manner originally anticipated.
Despite the setback, Momodu said he remained optimistic that Nigerians would eventually mobilise against the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“Unfortunately, it did not turn out to be so. But I still did not give up on the hope that Nigerians, not just the parties, would rise up massively against the APC menace,” he said.
Momodu said opposition leaders could no longer afford to ignore the political realities in Osun State, arguing that practical considerations should take precedence over party affiliations.
He maintained that the circumstances surrounding the election required opposition parties to unite behind Adeleke rather than risk splitting their votes.
“It would be foolhardy not to see that with the manner APC has turned Osun State into a theater of war, the only sensible strategy is for all opposition parties to align immediately and back the Accord Party candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
“I make this declaration without equivocation, or any fear of contradiction,” the statement read.
The ADC chieftain stressed that his endorsement was not motivated by a personal relationship or family connection with Adeleke.
Instead, he portrayed the Osun governor as a widely recognised political figure capable of attracting significant public support, including in a hypothetical popularity contest with President Bola Tinubu.
“This is not based on friendship or family ties. Governor Adeleke has been a global phenomenon who would easily defeat President Tinubu himself in a popularity contest,” he said.
Momodu also ranked Adeleke among the leading governors in the country, pointing to what he described as notable achievements in several areas of governance.
“Adeleke is primus inter pares amongst Nigerian Governors, in order of extraordinary performance in infrastructure, health, education, staff welfare, labour unions, IGR, agriculture, commerce, culture, women empowerment, youth integration, etc,” the statement read.
He consequently urged opposition parties to avoid actions that could provide the APC with grounds to challenge or manipulate the election outcome.
“We should never supply the APC an easy alibi to rig the Osun gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026,” he said.
