We cooperated with Accord to defeat APC in Osun – ADC

Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says his party collaborated with Accord in the Osun governorship election to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning the poll.

Abdullahi spoke on Trust TV on Monday while reacting to the ADC’s performance in the August 15 election.

Najeem Salaam, the ADC candidate in the election, garnered 17,180 votes.

Ademola Adeleke, incumbent governor and candidate of Accord, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who secured 444,815 votes.

‘APC DEFEAT WAS VICTORY FOR US’

Abdullahi said the party had anticipated that opposition votes would be divided, creating an opportunity for the APC to emerge victorious.

“We saw the possibility of collaboration. We saw the possibility earlier enough that if we decided to go full throttle, the possibility that the opposition would divide the votes and the APC would take the victory was there,” he said.

“And that was why we saw the opportunity to work together, and that was what happened.”

Abdullahi said the ADC did not regard the poor showing of its candidate as a failure because the party’s priority was to prevent the APC from returning to power in the state.

“That is why we can confidently celebrate what is going on in Osun, because for us, victory means that APC was defeated,” he added.

“So we don’t see the fact that our governorship candidate did not emerge as an occasion of defeat or failure. The failure, the defeat of the APC, was a real victory for us.”

Asked if the ADC instructed its supporters to vote for Adeleke, Abdullahi said: “We cooperated with the Accord party.”

He said the decision was supported by the leadership of the ADC.

‘OPPOSITION CAN DEFEAT APC WHEN UNITED’

Abdullahi said the ADC’s cooperation with Accord is proof that opposition parties can defeat the ruling APC in the 2027 presidential poll if they work together.

“It’s something that was deliberate, and we are glad that the outcome has justified the confidence that everyone has put in the process, and it has proved that the opposition working together can actually defeat this incumbent, no matter how awesome they are,” he said.

He, however, said the ADC did not intend to claim sole credit for Adeleke’s victory.

“When I say that we are not taking credit, we are saying that the credit belongs to the people of Osun state,” Abdullahi said.

“The victory belongs to Ademola Adeleke, who, in spite of all odds, still managed to emerge as the governor of Osun state.” (TheCable)