APC admits internal wrangling, complacency caused Osun defeat

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has admitted that internal wrangling, disagreement over its governorship candidate and complacency contributed 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 party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party defeated APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji to secure a second term in office.

 

Aliyu said disagreements among APC members over the choice of candidate affected the party’s performance, with some members allegedly refusing to work for the party because they were unhappy with Oyebamiji’s emergence.

 

“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.

 

According to him, the party must ensure that its candidates command broad support among members in future elections.

 

“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.

 

He declined to name the party leaders responsible for the disagreements, saying the issues should be resolved internally.

 

Aliyu also accused some APC members of taking Adeleke and his political movement for granted, believing that federal influence would 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.

 

He also criticised comments made by the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, during the campaign, saying they contributed to the party’s defeat.

 

Aliyu, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for not deploying federal might to influence the election and praised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for uploading results on its IReV portal.

 

Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, have congratulated Adeleke on his re-election.

 

Obasanjo, who paid a congratulatory visit to Adeleke at his country home in Ede, urged the governor to sustain good governance and continue to meet the needs of the people.

 

“Continue to deliver good governance. Continue to meet the needs of your people,” Obasanjo told Adeleke.

 

Responding, the governor thanked the former President and promised not to disappoint 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,” Adeleke said.

 

Soludo said Adeleke’s victory reflected the confidence of Osun voters in his administration and urged political actors to embrace peace and unity.

 

Afenifere described the election as free, fair and credible, commending INEC and Osun voters for ensuring that the will of the people prevailed. The group, however, called for further strengthening of Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, also urged Adeleke to run an inclusive administration and ensure equitable distribution of appointments.