A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has explained his decision to support Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for a second term despite belonging to a rival opposition party.

Momodu, a former presidential aspirant, made his position known in a statement on Tuesday ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in Osun State.

He maintained that he remained a proud member of the ADC but said opposition parties needed to put aside personal interests and unite behind Adeleke to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from benefiting from divisions within the opposition.

According to him, he joined the ADC after prominent opposition figures agreed to form a broad coalition to challenge the APC, which he described as an “APC cankerworm.”

“I had prayed fervently against the demon and clash of voluptuous egos.”

Momodu said he had initially hoped the opposition coalition would succeed without having to “reinvent the wheel,” noting that the ADC had at one point attracted prominent figures who finished second, third and fourth in the 2023 presidential election.

He, however, expressed disappointment that the coalition did not eventually develop as originally envisaged.

Despite this, Momodu said he had not abandoned his hope that Nigerians would collectively challenge the APC.

Explaining his decision to support Adeleke, he argued that the political situation in Osun required opposition parties to adopt what he described as “practical commonsense.”

“It would be foolhardy not to see that with the manner APC has turned Osun State into a theater of war, the only sensible strategy is for all opposition parties to align immediately and back the Accord Party candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke.”

Momodu insisted that his endorsement was not based on friendship or family connections.

He described Adeleke as a “global phenomenon” and claimed that the governor could defeat President Bola Tinubu in a popularity contest.

He further described Adeleke as primus inter pares, “first among equals”, among Nigerian governors, citing his alleged performance in infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, agriculture, commerce, culture, youth development and women empowerment.

Momodu also warned opposition parties against creating conditions that could provide the APC with an excuse to manipulate the outcome of the election.

“We should never supply the APC an easy alibi to rig the Osun gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026,” he said.

His declaration places him in the unusual position of openly supporting a candidate from another opposition party while retaining his membership of the ADC.