African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed social media reports claiming it has nominated a candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.

It said all aspirants would take part in a primary election, in line with its official timetable, after which the winner would emerge as the party’s standard-bearer.

The clarification became necessary following social media reports that the party had allegedly named Dr Najeem Salaam as its candidate for the 2026 Osun governorship election.

Salaam’s alleged emergence followed a closed-door meeting of the party’s national leadership in Lagos, where he was reportedly selected ahead of former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti.

The Lagos gathering, according to the social media account, was convened to reconcile factional differences and produce a unified candidate, with sources saying the vote tilted in Salaam’s favour, signalling a possible shift in the party’s internal dynamics.

However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the report, insisting it should be ignored.

Abdullahi, in a post on his X social media account, said: “ADC will 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.

“For the purpose of conducting the primaries to elect the party’s standard-bearer for the 2026 governorship election in Osun, a timetable has been released and widely publicised.

“Aspirants are urged to adhere strictly to the guidelines.

“For the avoidance of doubts, ADC remains committed to the highest standard of internal democracy, anchored on a free, fair and transparent electoral process.” (THE NATION)