Tuesday, August 11, 2026 - A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, says he is backing Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party in Osun State for a second term, despite being a member of a rival opposition party.
Momodu disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, insisting
that opposition parties must set aside individual interests and align behind
Adeleke ahead of the August 15 governorship election in the state.
The former presidential aspirant said he remained a proud
member of the ADC.
He explained that he joined the party on the basis that
prominent opposition figures decided to form a broad coalition against what he
described as 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 prayed against a clash of egos among
opposition figures.
He added that he had hoped the coalition would not need to
start afresh, since the ADC had earlier paraded the second, third and
fourth-placed candidates in 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.
He, however, said the coalition did not eventually
materialise as envisaged.
He said he had nonetheless not given up hope that Nigerians
would rise against the APC.
“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 the time had come for opposition parties to
confront reality and act with practical commonsense, adding that his decision
to back a candidate outside his own party was informed by the situation in Osun
State.
“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.
He insisted that his endorsement of Adeleke was not informed
by friendship or family ties.
He described the governor as a global phenomenon who could
defeat President Bola Tinubu in a popularity contest.
“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 further described Adeleke as primus inter pares among
Nigerian governors, citing his performance across several sectors.
“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.
Momodu warned that opposition parties should avoid handing
the APC any excuse to manipulate the outcome of the election.
“We should never supply the APC an easy alibi to rig the
Osun gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026,” he said.
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