The Osun caucus in the house of representatives has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary poll in the state.
On Tuesday, Adebayo Adedamola was elected as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the August 2026 election.
Humphrey Abba, chairman of the electoral committee, said Adedamola garnered 919 votes to secure the party’s ticket.
Adedamola was elected after Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, who had earlier been listed for the contest, announced his resignation from the PDP before the exercise.
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In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, six PDP lawmakers from Osun dissociated themselves from the exercise, accusing Seyi Makinde, the Oyo state governor, of interfering in the election.
The caucus said the primary election did not meet any requirement set out by the party’s constitution or the 2022 Electoral Act.
The lawmakers asked Makinde to “desist from any further action capable of threatening the peace of Osun state or destabilising its political atmosphere”.
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They alleged that Makinde is desperate for regional political influence, which has led him to engage in untoward conduct.
The legislators claimed that “thugs and political jobbers were imported” into Osun to hijack the primary election.
“It is laughable that the Oyo state governor does not understand, or chooses to ignore, the fact that the PDP has laid down procedures for the conduct of primaries, which include elections of ward ad-hoc delegates and national delegates without which no valid primaries can be conducted,” the statement reads.
“We unequivocally reject the fraudulent conduct of a purported primary which threw up one Adebayo Adedamola Fryo as the PDP candidate in the 2026 elections.
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“We equally warn the said Fryo not to parade himself as such a candidate of our party, as such will be tantamount to a criminal impersonation and an attempt to provoke the peaceful and law-abiding leaders and members of the PDP in Osun state.
“The governor should stop laying credence to those who have accused him of being a serial traitor and power-monger.”
The lawmakers urged INEC to “discard the phoney results” of the primary election and adhere strictly to the PDP constitution and the electoral law in selecting candidates.
The statement was signed by Bamidele Salam, Mudashiru Alani, Akanni Ademola, Adewale Adebayo, Adetunji Olusoji, and Oladebo Omoleye.
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