The All Progressives Congress (APC) has admitted that internal wrangling, disagreement over its governorship candidate and complacency contributed significantly to its defeat in the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
A chieftain of the party, Farouk Aliyu, made the admission during an interview on ARISE Morning Show, describing the outcome as a wake-up call for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won the election with 511,677 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Aliyu said the party was weakened by disagreements among its members over the choice of candidate, with some members allegedly refusing to fully support Oyebamiji.
“We did everything humanly possible to win the election. There is a lot of internal wrangling among our members in Osun State. There are people who were not happy with the choice of our candidate,” he said.
He added that some APC members allowed their grievances over the candidate to affect their commitment during the election.
“Some members of our party did not do what they were supposed to do out of anger because they didn’t like our candidate. That is the major internal problem we had; APC defeated itself in Osun State,” Aliyu said.
The APC chieftain also accused the party of underestimating Adeleke and his political structure, saying some members believed federal influence would automatically guarantee victory.
“Some thought the federal government would just come in and write the results. Our members and supporters took Adeleke and his movement for granted. What we ordinarily ought to have done in certain places, we didn’t do, thinking we would win the election regardless. That didn’t happen,” he said.
Aliyu declined to name the party leaders he believed were responsible for the defeat, insisting that the issues should be addressed internally.
He also criticised comments made by APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, during the campaign, arguing that they contributed to the party’s poor performance.
Despite the defeat, Aliyu commended President Bola Tinubu for not allegedly deploying federal might to influence the election. He also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for uploading results on its IReV portal.
Meanwhile, further details have emerged over the intrigues surrounding the APC campaign in Osun, with reports suggesting that calculations for the 2027 presidential election may have complicated the party’s efforts to defeat Adeleke.
Vanguard reported that while APC leaders were campaigning for Oyebamiji, some strategists within the Presidency were allegedly exploring ways of reaching an understanding with the Adeleke political dynasty ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Adeleke had previously made moves to join the APC during the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but the move did not materialise.
According to the report, some APC forces within and outside Osun had favoured bringing Adeleke into the party because of his popularity and strong support among workers and youths.
It was further gathered that, on the eve of the governorship election, discussions were allegedly ongoing between some Presidency figures and the Adeleke dynasty over a possible political alliance aimed at delivering substantial votes for Tinubu in 2027.
A source within the APC secretariat in Osogbo claimed that some party strategists left the state early on election day following directives allegedly linked to the Presidency.
The source said the Presidency was considering an alliance with the Adeleke dynasty that could potentially deliver more than one million votes to the APC in the 2027 presidential election.
Following his victory, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere congratulated Adeleke.
Obasanjo visited Adeleke at his country home in Ede and urged him to consolidate his achievements and continue delivering good governance.
“Continue to deliver good governance. Continue to meet the needs of your people,” Obasanjo told the governor.
Adeleke, in response, thanked the former President and pledged to remain committed to the people of Osun.
“Baba, I thank you for this surprise visit. I promise never to disappoint God, Osun people and all lovers of democracy who made our victory possible,” he said.
Soludo said Adeleke’s victory reflected the confidence reposed in him by Osun voters, while Afenifere described the election as free, fair and credible.
The organisation, however, called for further reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) also urged Adeleke to run an inclusive administration and ensure equitable distribution of appointments.
