The All Progressives Congress (APC) has attributed its defeat in the 2026 Osun State governorship election to internal wrangling, disagreement over its candidate and complacency among party members.
APC chieftain Farouk Aliyu, speaking on ARISE Morning Show, said the party “defeated itself” despite deploying significant resources and efforts to win the election.
He said some party members were unhappy with the choice of candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and consequently failed to work fully for the party.
“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 also accused some APC members of taking the electorate and the popularity of Governor Ademola Adeleke for granted, believing that federal influence would guarantee victory.
According to him, some party members assumed the Federal Government would simply “write the results” and therefore failed to campaign effectively in areas where they needed to.
Aliyu also criticised comments made by APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, during the campaign, saying they contributed to the party’s poor performance.
He, however, praised President Bola Tinubu for not deploying federal might to influence the election and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the transparent uploading of results on its IReV portal.
Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, won the election with 511,677 votes to secure a second term.
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes political manoeuvring within the APC has emerged as another factor that may have contributed to the party’s defeat.
Vanguard reports that while the APC’s state structure and campaign teams were mobilising support for Oyebamiji, some strategists within the Presidency were reportedly exploring an alliance with the Adeleke political dynasty ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to sources within the party, the discussions were linked to efforts to secure substantial support for President Tinubu in Osun in 2027, with some party figures reportedly considering an alliance capable of delivering more than one million votes for the President.
The development allegedly created confusion within sections of the APC, with some strategists reportedly leaving the state shortly before the governorship election.
Despite the internal challenges, the party proceeded with the election, only to lose to Adeleke by more than 66,000 votes.
The outcome has been described within the APC as a wake-up call ahead of the 2027 general election, with the party expected to address its internal divisions, candidate-selection process and campaign strategy if it hopes to retain the Presidency and strengthen its position across the South-West.