Turaki-led PDP backs Adeleke for Osun election
August 13, 2026 10:57 pm
File photo: Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke
The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has endorsed the Accord Party candidate and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for Saturday’s governorship election.
The faction announced the decision in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong.
It follows a Court of Appeal judgment upholding the nomination of Adebayo Adedamola as the PDP governorship candidate for the election.
Ememobong said the appellate court, sitting in Abuja, also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to include the PDP logo on the ballot for the August 15, 2026, election.
According to him, the court held that the PDP had conducted its governorship primary, which was monitored by INEC, and forwarded the winner’s name to the commission.
He said the court further held that the access code for nomination on INEC’s portal was “a mere administrative formality” that could not override the statutory requirement for forwarding candidates’ names to the commission.
However, the faction criticised INEC’s handling of the nomination process, alleging that the commission had refused to recognise its candidate and withheld the codes required for the upload of candidates.
It said the court victory came too late for its candidate to campaign for the election.
“Though justice has finally been done, in this case the grant of justice is akin to a denial as there is no opportunity for our candidate to undertake campaigns in preparation for the elections,” the statement said.
It accused INEC of acting in a partisan manner and reiterated its position that the commission was “not a neutral umpire.”
“To this end, faced with the unimaginable difficulty that this situation puts on us, the Interim National Working Committee has chosen not to throw its hands up in defeat, which would only align with APC’s wicked playbook.
“As a true opposition party and in defence of multi-party democracy, and after exhaustive consultations with key stakeholders, the Committee has decided to support the candidature of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord Party for Saturday’s governorship elections,” the statement read.
It added, “Governor Adeleke is a former member of our party who left because of the state-engineered and funded leadership conflict in our party.
“We therefore ask all our members to vote for Governor Adeleke. We encourage them to go out on Saturday to vote, defend their votes and ensure that their votes count in the election.
“Nigerians must resist the shameful do or die disposition of the APC to win elections in places where they are not popular, against the clear wishes of the people.
“Elections must be a true reflection of the peoples’ wish, freely expressed through the ballot. Anything short of that is robbery and must not be allowed to stand.”
Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.
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