African Democratic Congress chieftain Dele Momodu on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, publicly endorsed Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party for a second term, urging opposition parties in Osun State to set aside political differences and unite behind the governor ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The endorsement is notable because Momodu remains a member of the ADC, one of the opposition platforms competing in the increasingly intense Osun political contest.
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Momodu said his support for Adeleke was driven by what he described as political reality rather than personal relationships or family connections.
“It would be foolhardy not to see that with the manner APC has turned Osun State into a theater of war, the only sensible strategy is for all opposition parties to align immediately and back the Accord Party candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke,” Momodu said.
The publisher and former presidential aspirant said he remained a proud ADC member and recalled joining the party as part of a broader effort by opposition figures to build a formidable coalition against the All Progressives Congress.
Momodu said he had hoped the coalition would bring together leading opposition forces and avoid what he described as a damaging clash of political egos.
According to him, the coalition did not develop as originally envisaged, but that disappointment had not weakened his determination to see Nigerians challenge the APC politically.
His endorsement of Adeleke therefore represents an unusual crossing of party lines at a time when political alliances in Osun are being reshaped ahead of Saturday’s election.
Adeleke, who previously contested and won the 2022 Osun governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, moved to the Accord Party after leaving the PDP and secured the platform for his 2026 re-election bid.
The political realignment has since gathered momentum.
In March, the Osun chapter of the PDP formally adopted Adeleke as its candidate for the August 15 election, directing party structures across the state to support his re-election under the Accord platform.
The move has placed Adeleke at the centre of an unusual opposition arrangement, with politicians and groups from outside his current party publicly declaring support for his candidacy.
In June, former APC commissioners, aides and other politicians associated with former Osun Governor Gboyega Oyetola also joined Adeleke’s Accord campaign in Osogbo.
Accord state chairmen from 27 states subsequently passed a vote of confidence in Adeleke and pledged to mobilise support for his re-election.
Momodu’s argument rests largely on the need to prevent opposition votes from becoming fragmented in a closely watched contest.
He warned that opposition parties should not create what he regards as an opportunity for the APC to benefit from divisions among its challengers.
“We should never supply the APC an easy alibi to rig the Osun gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026,” he said.
Momodu also offered an emphatic assessment of Adeleke’s popularity, describing the governor as a “global phenomenon” and arguing that Adeleke could defeat President Bola Tinubu in a popularity contest.
He further praised Adeleke’s record in areas including infrastructure, healthcare, education, staff welfare, agriculture, commerce, culture, women’s empowerment and youth integration.
The endorsement comes against a tense political backdrop in Osun, where allegations of violence and political intimidation have accompanied the build-up to the election.
In May, Accord alleged that gunmen linked to the APC attacked Adeleke’s campaign office and party secretariat in Osogbo.
The party said the incident was the second attack on the facility within two weeks.
The allegations were made by Accord and were not independently established in the report.
The campaign has also faced legal and political uncertainty over the status of Accord and other opposition parties.
In May, Adeleke welcomed a Court of Appeal intervention in a case involving efforts to deregister Accord and other parties, maintaining that the party would remain on the ballot.
With only days remaining before the August 15 poll, Momodu’s intervention adds another layer to an already fluid political contest.
For the ADC chieftain, the immediate priority appears to be broader opposition cooperation rather than strict party loyalty.
For Adeleke, the endorsement adds to a growing list of support from politicians and groups outside his immediate party structure as he seeks a second term in office.
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The decisive question now is whether the increasingly broad coalition around Adeleke can translate its political endorsements and alliances into votes when Osun residents head to the polls on August 15.
