Osun Guber: Adeleke will be defeated — Imumolen
The factional National Chairman of the Accord, Prof. Chris Imumolen, has predicted that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, will lose the forthcoming governorship election.
Imumolen, in a statement issued by his media aide, Israel Jagunmolu, said Adeleke’s political future could be determined by the outcome of the election and an ongoing legal dispute over the leadership of the Accord.
He urged Osun residents not to support Adeleke, arguing that the governor was unlikely to win the August 15 poll.
According to Imumolen, “the people of Osun State should not waste their votes on Adeleke, who is unlikely to prevail at the polls.”
He said his confidence extended beyond the electoral contest, arguing that Adeleke could still face legal challenges even if he emerged victorious.
Imumolen said the ongoing case involving rival factions of the Accord before the Federal High Court in Abuja could have implications for the political situation surrounding the election.
“We are expecting victory in the judgment very soon,” he stated.
The Accord chieftain said recent legal developments in the leadership dispute had strengthened the position of the faction he leads.
He said proceedings involving the rival factions had passed through the Court of Appeal, with the matter now before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Imumolen maintained that the dispute went beyond an internal disagreement, arguing that it concerned the legitimate leadership and structure of the Accord and the authority of its recognised organs.
He said a victory by Adeleke at the polls would not necessarily end the political and legal challenges surrounding his candidacy.
“If Adeleke loses at the polls, the people of Osun will have rejected him. A victory at the polls could still be challenged through the ongoing legal process,” he said.
Imumolen said his faction remained confident that the judiciary would vindicate its position and establish what he described as the legitimate leadership structure of the Accord as political activities intensify ahead of the governorship election.