Adeleke’s Victory Cannot End Accord’s Leadership Crisis – Factional Chairman

The leadership crisis within the Accord Party is far from over despite Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election, factional National Chairman of the party, Professor Chris Imumolen, has said.

Imumolen made the position known during a press briefing in Abuja, where he urged politicians, party stakeholders and members of the public to distinguish between Adeleke’s electoral victory in Osun State and the unresolved leadership dispute within Accord.

According to him, the party’s internal crisis predates both Adeleke’s entry into Accord and the Osun governorship election. He said the dispute has been the subject of legal proceedings since 2024.

Imumolen Says Election Did Not Resolve Leadership Dispute

Imumolen argued that Adeleke’s victory at the polls cannot automatically determine which faction is legally entitled to lead Accord.

“The Osun election is an election. The Accord leadership dispute is a national party and legal matter. They are two different issues,” he said, according to reports of his briefing.

The factional chairman maintained that the leadership dispute should be resolved through the courts rather than through the outcome of an election.

He said the Osun governorship election had concluded, but the legal dispute concerning the party’s national leadership remained active.

His position comes after Adeleke, who was backed by the Maxwell Mgbudem-led faction of Accord, secured victory in the Osun governorship election.

Two Factions Lay Claim to Accord Leadership

Accord has been divided between factions led by Imumolen and Maxwell Mgbudem, with both sides laying claims to the party’s national leadership.

The dispute has become particularly significant because Adeleke contested the Osun election under the Accord platform with the backing of the Mgbudem-led structure.

Imumolen, however, has continued to maintain that his faction is the legitimate and recognised national executive structure of the party.

He argued that the leadership question cannot be settled simply because the candidate supported by one faction has won an election.

The factional chairman said the disagreement existed before Adeleke joined Accord and should therefore not be portrayed as a dispute created by the governor’s political move.

Adeleke’s Entry Into Accord

Adeleke joined Accord after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party amid the PDP’s internal leadership crisis.

He subsequently adopted Accord as his platform for the Osun governorship election, where he defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

The Mgbudem-led faction backed Adeleke’s candidacy, while Imumolen’s faction opposed the arrangement and, during the campaign, backed Oyebamiji.

Imumolen said attempts were made to engage Adeleke and find a political solution to the party’s internal disagreements after the governor joined Accord, but those efforts did not produce a comprehensive resolution.

Imumolen Cites Court Proceedings

Imumolen also referred to legal proceedings dating back to 2024.

He said that on August 29, 2024, the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja issued an interim order in a case involving his faction and members of the opposing faction.

According to Imumolen, the order directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise him as National Chairman of Accord pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He further claimed that the order restrained members of the opposing faction from presenting themselves as the party’s National Executive Committee and from conducting certain party congresses pending the determination of the case.

These claims concern an ongoing legal dispute, and the final legal position will depend on subsequent proceedings and judgments of the competent courts.

‘Court Will Determine Legal Consequences’

The factional chairman warned against assuming that Adeleke’s electoral victory automatically brings the matter to an end.

He said the courts remain the appropriate forum for determining who has the legal authority to lead the party.

“The ballot may produce a winner, but the court will determine the legal consequences,” Imumolen said in an earlier statement concerning the dispute.

He also cautioned against interpreting his position as an attempt to personalise the dispute against Adeleke.

According to him, the central issue is the legal status of Accord’s competing leadership structures.

What the Dispute Could Mean

The continued leadership dispute could have implications for Accord’s internal administration, its national structure and future political activities.

However, Imumolen has cautioned against assuming that any potential court ruling would automatically remove Adeleke from office.

He previously acknowledged that the consequences of any judicial decision would depend on the specific orders issued by the court, the final judgment and applicable provisions of the Electoral Act.

This distinction is important because the legal status of a political party’s leadership and the validity of an election outcome can involve separate legal questions.

Accord Crisis Continues After Osun Poll

Adeleke’s victory has therefore not brought an immediate end to the dispute over who controls Accord at the national level.

Imumolen has vowed to continue pursuing the matter through the judicial process, insisting that political pressure, media campaigns or the outcome of the Osun election should not determine the party’s national leadership.

He called on stakeholders to allow the courts to resolve the matter according to the law.

The development means that while Adeleke and his supporters celebrate the Osun election victory, Accord’s internal leadership battle remains an unresolved issue.

As the legal proceedings continue, the eventual decisions of the courts could provide greater clarity on the competing claims to the party’s national leadership and the broader implications for Accord’s political future.

For now, the two issues remain distinct: Adeleke has secured an electoral victory in Osun, while the leadership dispute within Accord remains before the appropriate legal and political institutions.

This report is based on publicly reported statements by Professor Chris Imumolen and reports on the Accord Party leadership dispute. Claims concerning court orders and competing leadership positions remain subject to the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings and should not be interpreted as final judicial findings.