Osun: APC Must Stop Taking Voters for Granted, National Youth Leader Warns

The All Progressives Congress (APC) must honestly examine the reasons behind its defeat in the Osun governorship election instead of resorting to blame games, the party’s National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, has warned.

Israel said the outcome of the election should serve as a major warning to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that electoral victories could not be guaranteed through elite calculations, political structures or assumptions about voters.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won the election with 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.

In a statement, Israel acknowledged the disappointment within the APC but urged members to respect the electorate’s decision and conduct an honest assessment of the factors responsible for the defeat.

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

Israel warned that congratulations must not replace introspection, saying the party could not approach the 2027 elections without learning from its Osun setback.

He argued that the result should not be blamed solely on campaign logistics or individual politicians but should be examined within the broader relationship between the APC and voters.

The APC youth leader also praised President Bola Tinubu for allowing the Osun electorate to freely exercise its franchise despite the election not producing victory for the ruling party.

He said the President had access to several instruments of federal power but did not deploy them in a manner that could undermine the credibility of the election.

“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 APC members to reconsider their perception of Adeleke, arguing that the governor’s popularity could not be fully understood through elite political discourse.

Israel said Adeleke’s dancing and singing, which some opponents mocked, had helped him establish an emotional connection with ordinary voters and communicate accessibility.

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

According to Israel, voters respond not only to policies and endorsements but also to identity, familiarity, emotion and the personal connection candidates establish with them.

He cited former Osun governors Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Bisi Akande as politicians who understood the importance of cultural identification and grassroots communication.

Israel cautioned the APC against judging candidates mainly by their popularity among political elites or their acceptance in Abuja.

“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.

He urged the party to use the Osun defeat to reassess its relationship with voters, campaign strategy and choice of political messengers ahead of 2027.

Israel said respecting the electorate and learning from defeat would be essential to strengthening the party’s credibility and electoral prospects in the next national contest.