The Imole Campaign Council has dismissed the endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by Christopher Imumolen, insisting that he does not represent the recognised leadership of the Accord Party (A).
In a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the campaign council said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognises Barrister Maxwell Obinali Mgbudem as the National Chairman of Accord and that he remains committed to the re-election of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The reaction followed Imumolen’s appearance at the APC mega rally held in Osogbo, where he announced support for Oyebamiji and urged Accord members in Osun to vote for the APC candidate in Saturday’s governorship election.
Responding in a statement titled “Accord Party Chairman Didn’t Endorse Oyebamiji,” the Adeleke campaign accused the APC of presenting Imumolen as a legitimate Accord leader.
“The attention of The Imole Campaign Council has been drawn to a show of shame staged by the All Progressives Congress today in Osogbo, Osun State, where the APC recruited a fake entity and an impersonator to endorse its candidate for the August 15, 2026 governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji,” the statement said.
The council further alleged that Imumolen had been wrongly presented as the head of a faction of the Accord Party.
“The APC recruited one Christopher Imumolen who erroneously claimed he leads a faction of the Accord Party to endorse Oyebamiji,” the statement added.
Olajengbesi maintained that Imumolen’s declaration could not be regarded as the official position of Accord ahead of the governorship poll.
According to him, the party leadership recognised by INEC remains firmly aligned with Governor Adeleke.
“To put the records straight, the officially recognised National Chairman of the Accord Party by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is Barrister Maxwell Obinali Mgbudem, who is solidly behind Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election and continuity in Osun State,” the statement read.
The campaign council insisted that Mgbudem had not endorsed Oyebamiji and remained committed to the Accord governorship candidate.
Imumolen Declared Support For APC
At the APC rally earlier in the day, Imumolen had announced that Accord had withdrawn its support for Adeleke and had decided to back Oyebamiji in the election.
He urged Accord supporters across Osun State to vote for the APC candidate and expressed confidence that Oyebamiji would emerge victorious at the poll.
The Imole Campaign Council, however, described the endorsement as an attempt to create a false impression about the political position of the Accord Party.
“The ridiculous stage drama by the APC today shows the party is unpopular and had to recruit a fake entity to promote false and misleading narratives,” the council stated.
It reiterated that the INEC-recognised Accord leadership remained loyal to Adeleke.
“Again, to be clear, the INEC-recognised Accord Party National Chairman, Mgbudem, is solidly behind Governor Adeleke and will never endorse Oyebamiji,” the statement added.
The campaign organisation urged voters to ignore Imumolen’s endorsement and other claims originating from the opposition.
“We urge the public to dismiss the misleading narrative pushed out by the opposition who are jittery over their impending defeat on Saturday when the good people of Osun State are committed to coming out en masse to reelect Governor Adeleke,” the statement said.
The Osun State governorship election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with Governor Adeleke seeking re-election against APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.
