The Oyo State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Gbemileke Alagbe, has described the party’s defeat in the Osun State governorship election, including its loss at the polling unit of former governor and ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, as a lesson on the importance of political unity and grassroots mobilisation.

Alagbe, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Ibadan, said the outcome should prompt the party to resolve its internal differences and build a stronger political structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The ADC candidate was reacting to the party’s performance in Saturday’s Osun governorship election, in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord was declared winner with 511,067 votes, ahead of APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, while ADC candidate Najeem Salaam finished third.

At Aregbesola’s polling unit in Ilesa East Local Government Area, APC polled 256 votes to defeat Accord, which scored 43 votes, while ADC secured only 13 votes.

Alagbe said the development demonstrated that prominent political personalities alone could not guarantee electoral victory without an effective grassroots structure and a united party.

“There are divisions in some states, and this is not peculiar to Oyo State. We have seen similar situations in Lagos and other parts of the Southwest.

“However, I believe we will perform better in an atmosphere of unity, harmony and peace. We need to work together as a common front rather than as a divided party,” he said.

He urged ADC leaders and members across the country to learn from the Osun experience and put the party’s collective interest ahead of individual ambitions.

According to him, the party must strengthen its structures at the grassroots and work with different political tendencies if it hopes to make a significant impact in the 2027 elections.

“You cannot build a forest with one tree. We need to work with other groups and interests to build a formidable political movement,” Alagbe said.

He said the Osun outcome should not be viewed merely as a setback but as an opportunity for the party to examine its strategy, particularly its ability to translate the influence of prominent politicians into votes at polling-unit level.

Alagbe also called for reconciliation among the various tendencies within the ADC, saying internal disagreements could undermine the party’s prospects if not resolved before the 2027 elections.

“We do not need to wait until we lose an election before we start calling for unity. Personal interests should not be allowed to destroy the collective interest of the party,” he said.

The Oyo ADC candidate, however, expressed confidence that the party could overcome its challenges by strengthening its organisation and broadening its coalition.

He said ADC was already working to bring together politicians and supporters from different political backgrounds, including the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Social Democratic Party and Labour Party.

Alagbe said the party’s experience in Osun would serve as a useful lesson for its preparations in Oyo State, where he is seeking to challenge the established political forces in the 2027 governorship election.

He added that ADC’s campaign strategy in Oyo would focus on grassroots mobilisation, sustained engagement with voters and building a broad coalition capable of translating political support into electoral strength.