The Ekiti State chapter of the Accord Party has dismissed claims that its governorship candidate, Opeyemi Falegan, has withdrawn from Saturday’s governorship election to support the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wole Oluyede.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, the party’s state chairman, Adeniji Philip, described the claim as false and urged the public to disregard it.
“It’s information from the blues. It is not true and should be disregarded. We are still with our candidate. He has not stepped down for anybody and is ready for the election,” Mr Philip said.
His reaction followed a viral Facebook video by Isaac Fayose, younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, alleging that Mr Falegan had withdrawn from the race in favour of the PDP candidate.
PDP confirms support from Accord running mate
Meanwhile, the Oluyede Campaign Organisation acknowledged receiving the support of some Accord Party leaders but clarified that Mr Falegan had not formally endorsed the PDP candidate.
The campaign’s spokesperson, Idowu Adelusi, stated that the Accord Party’s deputy governorship candidate, Bayo Omoniyi, alongside other party leaders, had declared support for the PDP ahead of Saturday’s poll.
According to him, the declaration took place at Mr Oluyede’s residence in Ikere-Ekiti.
“Although the Accord governorship candidate himself has not formally declared support for our candidate, his running mate and other leaders of the party have joined us,” Mr Adelusi said.
He added that the PDP was optimistic of victory, claiming that other political parties had also endorsed its candidate.
“With this development, we are surely going to win the election on Saturday because other parties have also declared for us,” he said.
Mr Adelusi identified the other parties as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
ADC rounds off campaign
The development came as political parties concluded campaigns ahead of Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, presented the party’s flag to its governorship candidate, Dare Bejide, during the party’s grand finale rally in Ado-Ekiti.
Addressing supporters, the former Senate President urged voters to turn out in large numbers and support the ADC candidate.
“I appreciate the support you have given our candidate so far, but Saturday is the day that matters most. Come out in your numbers and vote for the ADC. We are confident that we will return here to celebrate victory,” Mr Mark said.
He later handed the party flag to Mr Bejide, describing it as a symbol of the mandate he hoped the candidate would carry to the Government House after the election.
Receiving the flag, Mr Bejide thanked the party leadership and expressed confidence in the party’s chances, saying the ADC had built a formidable grassroots structure across the state’s 177 wards.
“I want to tell our leaders that we have the best ADC coalition in any state in Nigeria. Since I emerged as the party’s candidate, I have worked to ensure that the party has structures across all wards in Ekiti,” he said.
He added that the party had attracted politicians from different political backgrounds, strengthening its chances in the election.
Focus shifts to the ballot
With campaigns now concluded, attention has shifted to Saturday’s election, where parties will test the effectiveness of their grassroots mobilisation across Ekiti State’s 16 local government areas.
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According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 1,059,360 voters are registered for the election, while 1,028,929 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected.
Despite the increase in registered voters, turnout has remained relatively low in previous gubernatorial elections. In 2022, only 360,753 votes were cast out of 989,224 registered voters, suggesting that electoral outcomes continue to be determined by a relatively stable pool of active voters.
Political observers have also identified populous local government areas, including Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Oye and Ikere, as critical battlegrounds likely to influence the outcome of Saturday’s contest.