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By Myke Agunwa
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday dismissed viral videos and social media posts claiming the party has secretly picked its governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun State election.
The clarification comes barely 48 hours after doctored videos and fake flyers flooded WhatsApp, Facebook and X claiming that the ADC had “unanimously adopted” one Alhaji Abdullahi Salam or simply “Salam” as its consensus candidate. The posts, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views, featured party logos, confetti graphics and even a forged signature purportedly from the National Chairman.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party warned members and the public against falling for the orchestrated misinformation.
“The African Democratic Congress would like to affirm our earlier statement that videos and social media posts claiming that the party has ‘picked’ a candidate are false and should be disregarded,” Abdullahi declared.
He stressed that the party’s timetable for the Osun governorship primary has already been released and widely circulated, adding that all aspirants are expected to follow the laid-down guidelines to the letter.
“For the purpose of conducting the primaries to elect the party’s flagbearer for the 2026 governorship election in Osun, a timetable has been released and widely publicised. All aspirants are urged to adhere strictly to the guidelines,” the statement continued.
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to internal democracy, Abdullahi said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the ADC remains committed to the highest standards of internal democracy, anchored on a free, fair and transparent electoral process.”
A party source in Osogbo told journalists that at least seven governorship aspirants have already purchased expression-of-interest and nomination forms, with more expected before the deadline. “Nobody has been anointed. The process is still very much open and competitive,” a senior Osun ADC chieftain said on condition of anonymity.