Osun 2026: Elections not won by approval ratings in Abuja — APC National Youth Leader

The All Progressives Congress (APC) must confront the reasons behind its defeat in the Osun State governorship election rather than resort to blame games and post-election excuses, the party’s National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, has said.

Israel said the result should serve as a warning to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general election.

He stressed that electoral victories could not be secured through elite calculations, political structures, or assumptions about voters.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party was declared winner of the election with 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.

In a statement, Israel acknowledged the disappointment within the APC but said the party must respect the decision of the electorate while undertaking an honest assessment of what went wrong.

He congratulated Adeleke and the people of Osun State, while also commending Oyebamiji, APC members, agents and volunteers who participated in the contest.

“Congratulations must not become a substitute for introspection,” he said, warning that the party could not afford to approach the 2027 elections without addressing the lessons from Osun.

According to him, the outcome should not be reduced to campaign logistics or the activities of individual politicians, but examined against the broader relationship between the party and the electorate.

Israel identified President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Adeleke among the personalities whose roles and political approaches, in his assessment, offered important lessons from the election.

He praised Tinubu for allowing the Osun electorate to exercise its franchise without the Presidency deploying its enormous powers to influence the outcome in favour of the APC.

The APC youth leader said the President had several instruments at his disposal but chose not to use federal power in a manner that could compromise the credibility of the election.

He argued that Tinubu’s approach to off cycle elections had demonstrated a willingness to accept electoral outcomes even when they did not favour the ruling party.

“President Tinubu may have lost Osun for the APC, but he won something larger for Nigeria: another opportunity to demonstrate that the vote of the Nigerian people must matter,” Israel said.

He also urged members of the APC to reconsider their assessment of Adeleke, arguing that the governor’s popularity could not be properly understood through the lens of elite political discourse.

Israel said Adeleke’s ability to connect with ordinary people had been underestimated by some of his opponents, particularly those who focused on his public dancing and singing.

Rather than viewing those traits as liabilities, he said they had helped the governor establish an emotional connection with voters and communicate a sense of accessibility.

“Governor Adeleke’s dancing was never a weakness. It was a political language,” he said.

He argued that politics went beyond policy documents and elite endorsements, adding that voters also responded to identity, familiarity, emotion and the personal presence of candidates.

According to him, Adeleke remained closely connected to his grassroots base while some of his opponents appeared to underestimate the importance of that relationship.

Israel cited former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Bisi Akande as politicians who, in different ways, understood the importance of cultural identification and communication with ordinary people.

He also referenced former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, saying political presence and cultural familiarity could become effective instruments of political communication.

The APC youth leader therefore cautioned the party against judging candidates primarily by their acceptance among political elites or their standing in Abuja circles.

“A candidate may dominate elite discourse and still fail to move a ward. Another may be mocked in elite spaces and still command overwhelming loyalty on the ground,” he said.

Israel maintained that electoral success depended ultimately on understanding voters at the grassroots and responding to their realities.

“Elections are not won by approval ratings in Abuja. They are won by understanding people as they are,” he said.

He said the Osun result should consequently prompt the APC to examine its relationship with voters, campaign strategy and choice of political messengers before the 2027 general elections.

Rather than assembling another committee to produce a report without meaningful changes, Israel urged the party to undertake the difficult internal reflection required to translate the Osun setback into a stronger electoral strategy.

He said respecting the electorate while learning from defeat remained essential to the survival and credibility of the party as it prepares for the next national electoral contest.