The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has revealed that it deliberately worked with the Accord Party during the August 15 Osun State governorship election as part of a strategy to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from reclaiming power in the state.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this while reflecting on the party's performance in the election and explaining why its governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam, recorded a relatively low number of votes.
According to Abdullahi, the ADC leadership had identified the possibility that opposition votes could become divided if different parties contested the election aggressively against one another. The party therefore decided that cooperation with Accord offered a better opportunity to prevent the APC from securing victory.
The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, polled 17,180 votes, while incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested under the Accord platform, won the election with 511,067 votes. The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, finished second with 444,815 votes.
Abdullahi explained that the ADC did not regard the relatively low performance of its candidate as an electoral failure because the party's broader objective was to stop the APC from returning to government in Osun.
He said the party had considered the possibility that a strong contest by multiple opposition parties could split the anti-APC vote and create an advantage for the APC. The decision to cooperate with Accord was therefore presented as a strategic political calculation rather than a failure to mobilise voters.
The ADC spokesman also confirmed that the cooperation had the backing of the party's leadership. He described the outcome as a victory for the party because the APC was prevented from reclaiming control of the state.
The disclosure provides further insight into the political calculations behind the Osun election, where opposition parties were competing for influence while attempting to prevent the APC from returning to power.
The election ultimately produced a decisive victory for Adeleke, who secured more than 500,000 votes and defeated the APC candidate by a substantial margin. The result has since triggered political reactions, including the APC's decision to review the outcome.
For the ADC, however, the result demonstrates the potential impact of opposition cooperation. The party's leadership believes that preventing an APC victory was more important in the circumstances than securing a strong individual vote tally for its candidate.
The development could also have wider implications for Nigeria's political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly as opposition parties continue to explore alliances and strategies for challenging the ruling APC.
The ADC's position suggests that coalition-building and tactical cooperation may remain important features of the political landscape as parties prepare for future elections.