Adeleke’s victory cannot end Accord’s leadership crisis - Factional Chairman

The leadership crisis plaguing Nigeria's Accord Party is a legal matter that predates Governor Ademola Adeleke's involvement and will persist despite his electoral victory, according to the factional National Chairman, Chris Imumolen.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Imumolen asserted that the dispute remains before the courts and is distinct from the Osun State governorship election. "The Osun election is an election. The Accord leadership dispute is a national party and legal matter. They are two different issues," he stated. "The Osun election will come and go. Whichever candidate wins or loses, the national leadership question within Accord remains a matter to be determined through the appropriate legal process."

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The Osun election is an election. The Accord leadership dispute is a national party and legal matter. They are two different issues.

Governor Adeleke, the Accord candidate, was declared the winner of the Osun election, defeating his APC opponent by a significant margin. However, Imumolen maintained that this electoral success does not settle the competing claims for national leadership within the party. He noted that the leadership dispute has been ongoing since 2024 and will continue regardless of the Osun results.

Imumolen rejected suggestions that his faction acted as a spoiler in Osun due to opposition to Adeleke. He claimed the disagreement within Accord existed before the governor joined the party and that he had previously attempted to reconcile factions. He recalled harmonizing factions during his 2023 presidential campaign, after which the party operated without division until a national convention in 2024. At that convention, two competing claims to the national chairmanship emerged, with one faction allegedly holding a separate process.

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The Osun election will come and go. Whichever candidate wins or loses, the national leadership question within Accord remains a matter to be determined through the appropriate legal process.