The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has attributed its poor showing in the Osun State governorship election to a deliberate strategic alliance with the Accord Party aimed at preventing the All Progressives Congress (APC) from returning to power.
ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi disclosed the rationale during an interview on Trust TV, stating that the party’s low vote tally was a calculated Trade-off. According to Abdullahi, ADC leadership identified the risk of opposition vote fragmentation early in the electoral cycle and concluded that a divided opposition would hand victory to the APC. The parties opted to coordinate rather than compete independently.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. ADC candidate Najeem Salaam finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Despite the wide margin, Abdullahi insisted the outcome did not represent a failure for ADC. “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.”
The collaboration underscores a growing trend in Nigerian off-cycle Elections where smaller parties negotiate strategic withdrawals or alliances to consolidate opposition strength against dominant incumbents. While such arrangements can alter electoral arithmetic, they also raise questions about the long-term viability of minority parties unable to translate structural cooperation into independent electoral capital.
ADC’s decision reflects a pragmatic calculation: sacrificing immediate vote share to achieve a broader political objective. Whether the strategy strengthens the party’s bargaining position ahead of future contests or further erodes its distinct identity remains an open question for Nigeria’s evolving opposition landscape.
