Osun Election Sets Stage for Tinubu’s 2027 Defeat, Says Solomon Dalung

Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has declared that the outcome of the Osun State governorship election has laid the foundation for what Nigerians should expect in the 2027 general elections.

Dalung said during Channels Television’s programme Morning Brief on Wednesday that the election had demonstrated that incumbency, federal might and the influence of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could no longer guarantee electoral victory.

Speaking on the outcome of the election, the former minister argued that the large mobilisation of APC leaders and resources to Osun State failed to prevent what he described as a humiliating defeat for the party.

He said, “The elections in Osun have come and gone, and they have laid the foundation of what 2027 is going to be all about.”

According to him, the presence of governors, National Assembly members and other top APC leaders in Osun during the election showed the extent of the federal and political machinery deployed by the ruling party.

“Despite the federal might, as we saw in the 30 governors, 45 members of the National Assembly, national chairman, Senate President, speakers, all congregating in Osun, they still suffered a humiliating defeat,” Dalung said.

He maintained that the Osun result had effectively challenged the assumption that the party in power would automatically prevail in elections.

Dalung also criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his reported reaction to the election outcome, accusing him of attempting to shift blame for the APC’s defeat to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

He questioned why attention was being focused on the ADC instead of examining the resources allegedly deployed by the APC during the election.

“What happened in Osun is a confirmation of what I said two years ago, that even if Tinubu appointed his wife, Remi Tinubu, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria and appointed his son, Seyi, as INEC Chairman, he is going to be defeated woefully in 2027,” he said.

The former minister further questioned Wike’s political affiliations, accusing him of having associations with multiple political parties.

Reacting to the National Peace Accord, Dalung also questioned the effectiveness of the initiative, arguing that signing agreements ahead of elections had not necessarily prevented politicians from violating democratic norms.

According to him, the process risks becoming a mere ceremonial exercise if political actors continue to act with impunity after signing the accord.

“It’s about time we begin to question this gathering where people sign papers while they plan evil in their minds to go and execute, because we are ruled and governed by impunity,” Dalung said.

He described the Peace Accord gatherings as “more or less like a jamboree” where political actors sign documents without necessarily demonstrating a genuine commitment to their provisions.