On Wednesday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) dismissed the news report making the rounds that it had nominated a candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.

Debunking the claims, the coalition party said all aspirants would go through a primary election, in line with its official timetable, after which the winner would emerge as the party’s standard-bearer.

The disclaimer became expedient 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 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.

“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 doubt, ADC remains committed to the highest standard of internal democracy, anchored on a free, fair and transparent electoral process.”