The All Progressives Congress lost the last Osun State governorship election because it became disconnected from the grassroots, suffered internal divisions and alienated voters through its campaign approach, the Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, has said.
Rasheed spoke on Thursday during a virtual town hall organised under the Nigeria Leadership Series by the Africa Leadership Group and hosted by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo.
The programme, titled “Osun State Election: Implications for 2027,” featured an APC chieftain, Abbas Farouq, Esq., Managing Partner of Abdu-Salaam Abbas & Co., among the speakers.
Farouq, while commenting on the election, said Adeleke clearly deserved his re-election.
“Only someone who doesn't have the fear of God will say that Governor Adeleke did not deserve to win his re-election,” Farouq said.
But Rasheed offered a broader explanation for the APC defeat, pointing to what he described as the party’s failure to maintain a strong connection with voters.
According to him, the decapitalisation of the local government system turned the grassroots against the APC.
He also alleged that the party resorted to violence and intimidation during the election, saying the strategy failed to cow voters.
Rather, he said, voters responded at the polls.
Rasheed further attributed Adeleke’s victory to his performance across the state, political structures built over several years and alliances that cut across party lines.
He said the governor’s popularity, strong media machinery and grassroots structures also contributed to the outcome.
On the opposition party, Rasheed described the APC as deeply factionalised and disconnected from the people.
He also cited the conduct of some APC leaders during the campaign, particularly the “kill them” slogan, which he said became a major liability for the party.
Rasheed said the support of the labour movement for Adeleke, the freezing of the state government’s account and the alleged blocking of Adeleke from returning to the APC also influenced the political environment.
According to him, preventing Adeleke from returning to the APC eventually widened his support base.
“God was even against the APC,” he added.
Rasheed also made a direct claim about the 2027 presidential election, saying, “There’s no one in APC that can win Osun for President Tinubu’s re-election except Governor Adeleke.”
He said the Osun election had lessons for future elections, including the importance of active citizen participation, grassroots engagement and changing voter behaviour.
He also cited the tense 60-day period preceding the election, INEC’s role and what he termed “electoral militancy” as issues requiring attention ahead of future polls.