APC Did Everything Humanly Possible to Win Osun – APC Chieftain Aliyu

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has admitted that the party did everything it could to win the 2026 Osun State governorship election but was ultimately defeated by internal divisions.

Appraising APC’s performance in last Saturday’s governorship election on Monday, Aliyu said the APC made every effort it considered necessary to secure victory but acknowledged that internal wrangling within the party contributed significantly to its defeat.

“We did our best. We did everything we thought was enough to win the 2026 Osun governorship election,” Aliyu said.

According to him, some APC members in Osun were dissatisfied with the party’s candidate ahead of the election, creating divisions that weakened the party’s chances at the polls.

“The people of Osun decided they wanted the Accord Party, and that is the beauty of democracy. I congratulate them,” he said.

Aliyu added that if the APC were to identify what it could have done differently, addressing the internal crisis within its Osun chapter would be a major area of consideration.

“There was a lot of internal wrangling in the APC in Osun State in the buildup to the election. Some people were not happy with our candidate. If we could have done anything differently, maybe that is the area to look at, because the APC defeated itself in Osun State,” he said.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Lukman, said the relatively high voter turnout in the election had renewed confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.

Lukman said the estimated 40 per cent voter turnout recorded during Saturday’s election was significantly encouraging, arguing that it demonstrated Nigerians’ willingness to participate actively in determining their political future.

“The relatively high voter turnout played a critical role in the Osun election,” he said.

According to him, the turnout could serve as a morale booster for Nigerians to participate more actively in future elections and assert their democratic choices.

“Unlike previous elections, Saturday’s poll recorded about 40% voter turnout. This serves as a morale booster for Nigerians, who can now assert themselves and get the results they want,” Lukman said.

He also attributed part of the opposition’s performance to last-minute political negotiations, which he said enabled the opposition to reduce its financial commitment to the election while redirecting support towards Governor Ademola Adeleke.

A statement which Governor Ademola Adeleke denied, claiming that he never had any agreement with President Bola Tinubu, while asserting that his support for the President was based on conviction.