Osun Election: Inside the ADC’s Election-Day Puzzle — Was Its Vote Sacrificed to Stop APC?

By Yahaya Mojeed

Fresh allegations have sparked controversy within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following claims that the party's disappointing performance in some of its traditional strongholds during Saturday's Osun State governorship election may have been influenced by an election-day political strategy aimed at preventing the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning.

The allegations, made by aggrieved members of the ADC, suggest that sections of the party's structure may have been encouraged to work for the Accord Party and Governor Ademola Adeleke instead of deploying the party's full machinery behind its governorship candidate, Dr. Najeem Salaam.

The claims have not been independently established by Oriontimes.

According to the party members, the alleged strategy was not necessarily designed to make Accord a formal political partner of the ADC, but rather to prevent the APC from emerging victorious.

They alleged that the political calculation was that if the ADC could not realistically win the election, its votes could be deployed in a manner that would deny the APC an opportunity to benefit from a divided opposition.

A Controversial Election-Day Calculation

Sources within the party alleged that elements of the ADC leadership may have adopted a simple political calculation: if victory for the ADC was unlikely, stopping the APC could become the immediate priority.

Under that alleged calculation, Accord was considered preferable to APC.

However, the claim raises a significant question about the extent to which such a strategy, if it existed, was communicated to grassroots members and supporters who had spent months campaigning for Salaam.

Some party members reportedly believe that ADC supporters were effectively asked to choose between loyalty to their candidate and the broader objective of preventing an APC victory.

The allegation remains unverified.

Aregbesola at the Centre of the Controversy

The controversy has particularly focused attention on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, former Osun State governor and National Secretary of the ADC.

Before the election, Aregbesola had publicly presented the ADC as an independent political force and expressed support for Salaam's candidacy.

That position has now become an important part of the internal debate.

Some ADC members allege that a different political calculation emerged on election morning, with supporters allegedly being encouraged to ensure that the APC did not win and, where necessary, to favour Accord.

There is currently no independently verified evidence establishing that Aregbesola issued such an instruction.

The allegation nonetheless raises questions about whether there was any difference between the ADC's publicly declared electoral strategy and what happened at grassroots level on election day.

The Atiku Factor

The controversy also extends to the wider national opposition movement.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had publicly campaigned for Salaam and called on Osun voters to support the ADC candidate shortly before the election.

That public position makes the allegation of any subsequent move to redirect ADC votes particularly significant.

Some party members have alleged that national political calculations influenced elements within the Osun ADC structure.

However, those claims have not been independently substantiated, and Atiku's publicly declared support for Salaam remains a matter of record.

The Unanswered Question of Mobilisation Funds

Another issue generating tension within the party is the allegation that mobilisation funds were not released to some grassroots structures on election day.

Party members claim that the alleged shortage affected transportation, voter mobilisation, agent coordination and the ability of local structures to operate effectively across polling units.

Some critics have gone further, alleging that the failure to release funds may have been connected to the alleged strategy of weakening the ADC's electoral performance.

That claim also remains unverified.

The ADC leadership has yet to publicly provide a detailed explanation addressing the allegations surrounding election-day mobilisation and funding.

Why Ejigbo Has Become a Flashpoint

Perhaps the most contentious part of the debate concerns Ejigbo, regarded as one of Najeem Salaam's major political strongholds.

For supporters of the ADC candidate, the party's performance in the area has raised serious questions.

How could Salaam's political base produce a result that fell below expectations on the very day he was contesting for governor?

Some ADC members have interpreted the result as evidence that the party's machinery may not have been fully deployed behind its candidate.

Similar questions have been raised about results from polling units and areas associated with prominent ADC figures.

The reported outcome at Aregbesola's polling unit, where the APC was said to have defeated the ADC, has also attracted attention.

However, election results alone cannot establish whether there was an organised instruction to divert ADC votes. Voter preference, turnout, local political dynamics, campaign effectiveness and tactical voting could all have influenced the outcome.

A Political Chess Game?

The allegations nevertheless paint a picture of an opposition party caught between two competing objectives: maximising the votes of its own candidate and preventing another political party from winning.

If the allegations are eventually substantiated, it would raise questions about whether a broader political calculation took precedence over the immediate electoral interests of the ADC and its candidate.

Supporters of such a strategy could argue that preventing an APC victory was more important than maximising the ADC's vote.

But opponents would argue that asking supporters to abandon their party's candidate after months of mobilisation amounts to a betrayal of both the candidate and the grassroots structures that worked for the party.

What Really Happened on Election Day?

At the centre of the controversy is one question:

Did the ADC fully deploy its political machinery behind Najeem Salaam on election day, or was part of its electoral strength deliberately redirected towards preventing an APC victory?

A second question is equally important:

If such a strategy existed, who authorised it, how widely was it communicated, and why were ordinary party members allegedly kept in the dark?

Some party members have suggested that secrecy may have been intended to prevent the strategy from becoming public or to avoid possible security complications. That claim, too, remains unverified.

For now, the allegations should remain allegations until supported by credible evidence.

What is clear is that the ADC's post-election period could be dominated by an internal examination of its campaign strategy, polling-unit results, mobilisation structure and the performance of its candidate in areas where the party had expected stronger support.

The party may ultimately have to explain whether it fought the election primarily to win for Najeem Salaam or whether, at some point, preventing an APC victory became the more important political objective.

Until the facts are established, Oriontimes presents the claims as part of an emerging post-election controversy and does not endorse any of the competing political positions.

Oriontimes maintains its commitment to political neutrality, fairness and responsible journalism.

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