• APC group blames Oyetola for party’s defeat
• Stakeholders allege 26 federal appointments went to Oyetola loyalists
• Group accuses Oyetola of imposing candidates, demands leadership review
• NRM faults Adeleke over renewed support for Tinubu ahead of 2027
• Adeleke visits President, thanks him for allowing ‘free, fair’ Osun poll
• Akume commends Tinubu for non-interference in Osun election
• INEC vows to improve on Osun poll as coalition backs Amupitan

The political fallout from the August 15 Osun State governorship election took a fresh twist yesterday, as APC stakeholders blamed the party’s defeat on the alleged conduct of former governor Gboyega Oyetola, while the Nigeria Reset Movement (NRM) accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of betraying his supporters by reaffirming his support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu dated August 18, 2026, the Osun APC Stakeholders Forum claimed that Oyetola’s alleged control of the party’s leadership and structure, as well as the distribution of federal appointments among his loyalists, had polarised the APC in the state more than a year before the election.

The group accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, who is also the immediate past governor of the state, of allegedly imposing candidates for elective positions while sidelining other party stakeholders.

The letter, titled “Why We Lost the Osun State August 15, 2026 Gubernatorial Election”, was signed by the coordinator of the group, Prof Akin Adeyanju, and its secretary, Sola Ajayi.

The letter, seen by The Guardian in Osogbo, said: “We respectfully submit that the principal reason for our defeat was the conduct of the immediate past governor of the state and Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola.

“In our assessment, he appointed cronies, allies and kinsmen to federal political positions and single-handedly selected all candidates for elective office in the state, disregarding the advice and counsel of party elders who urged him to carry other critical stakeholders along.”

The group said it was a pressure group within the APC committed to the party’s interests, adding that it appreciated Tinubu’s leadership and support for the party before and after the election.

“It is with deep regret, therefore, that we report our loss, despite your unwavering support for the party’s success,” it stated.

The group alleged that 26 federal appointments, as well as 31 local government area and 332 ward coordinator positions for the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, were distributed to Oyetola’s alleged loyalists, leaving other APC stakeholders in the state excluded.

It also alleged that Oyetola single-handedly nominated the party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates, three senatorial candidates, nine House of Representatives candidates and 26 House of Assembly candidates.

“We believe this pattern of exclusion left the party’s base disengaged and cost us the support of critical stakeholders and communities across the state’s three senatorial districts, contributing directly to our defeat on August 15,” the group said.

To address what it described as injustice and lopsidedness within the party, the group called for an independent review of the Osun APC leadership structure and candidate-selection process ahead of future elections.

It also demanded a reconciliation meeting involving Oyetola, party elders and aggrieved stakeholders in the state, under the supervision of the APC National Working Committee.

The group further called for fairness in the distribution of federal appointments from Osun State, saying representation should reflect the wider membership of the party rather than one faction.

Efforts to obtain confirmation of the signatories and the position of the Osun State APC chapter were unsuccessful, as calls to the party’s Director of Media and Information went unanswered.

For its part, NRM, a non-governmental organisation, accused Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, of betraying his supporters by reaffirming his support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The organisation’s Public Relations Officer, David Jones, made the allegation in a statement issued in Awka, Anambra State, yesterday.

Jones said Adeleke’s position contradicted what he described as the governor’s stance in the months preceding the 2026 Osun State governorship election, when he allegedly warned against possible electoral malpractice by the Federal Government and mobilised public support against such a development.

He also alleged that several people lost their lives during the election, faulting Adeleke for failing to address the issue in his victory speech after he was declared the winner.

Jones described Adeleke’s renewed support for Tinubu as a betrayal of those who backed him during the election and questioned the implications of what he described as the governor’s political realignment.

He said the development reflected a broader problem of political expediency and lack of accountability among political leaders in Nigeria.

Adeleke visits Tinubu, thanks President for ‘free, fair’ Osun election
MEANWHILE, Governor Ademola Adeleke has visited President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to thank him for what he described as the President’s commitment to upholding democracy and ensuring a free and fair governorship election in the state.

Adeleke arrived at the State House at about 5:20 p.m. and proceeded through the forecourt route directly to the President’s Office, where he held a closed-door meeting with Tinubu.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Adeleke said his visit was principally to appreciate the President for allowing the electoral process to proceed freely.

“I’m here to thank Mr. President, the father of the nation, because he fought for this democracy. That is why he allowed free and fair election, and that is the result,” Adeleke said.

“That is why I’m here, to say thank you to ensure that democracy lives in Nigeria,” he added.

Although details of the meeting were not made public, Adeleke’s comments indicated that the conduct of the Osun election and the broader need to sustain democratic governance featured prominently in the discussions.

Akume commends Tinubu for non-interference in Osun governorship election
THIS came as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, commended President Bola Tinubu for refusing to interfere in the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, describing the decision as a demonstration of his commitment to democratic principles and the independence of electoral institutions.

Akume spoke in Abuja when he paid a courtesy visit to the national headquarters of the City Boy Movement.

He said Tinubu’s conduct before and during the election marked a departure from practices associated with previous administrations, stressing that the President deliberately allowed the electoral process to run without interference.

According to him, such an approach was essential to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“The President never bothered to intervene in the electoral process that was recently concluded in Osun State. That is what democracy should be about. It is way better than what used to happen in the past,” Akume said.

The SGF said Tinubu’s approach reflected the disposition of a leader determined to consolidate democratic governance while implementing reforms aimed at repositioning the economy.

Osun poll: INEC vows to do better in 2027 as coalition backs Amupitan
ALSO, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that it will improve on the conduct of the Osun State governorship election ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The commission gave the assurance when it received a vote of confidence from a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), opposition political parties, ethnic nationalities and other democratic stakeholders, who commended its conduct of the Osun poll and rallied behind its Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan.

The coalition, led by the National Organising Secretary of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Obed Agu, made the position known during a solidarity march to the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Agu said the group was not at the commission’s headquarters to protest, but to appreciate INEC for what it described as the credible conduct of the Osun election and to encourage the commission to consolidate the gains ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to him, representatives of political parties, ethnic youth organisations, community leaders, religious leaders, women leaders, civil society groups and other stakeholders had undertaken a two-day post-election assessment of the Osun poll.

He said the assessment covered INEC’s pre-election preparations, election-day conduct, security arrangements, results management and engagement with stakeholders.

Agu said the coalition consequently reached the conclusion that Amupitan had earned its confidence based on his conduct since assuming leadership of the electoral commission.

“Democracy requires that we judge people by their conduct. And today, after observing the Osun election, we say: judge Professor Amupitan by what he has done,” he said.

“We expect the same standard to continue. We expect an even higher standard in 2027. We expect every Nigerian voter to be treated equally. We expect every political party to be treated fairly. We expect every vote to count.

“We expect the Commission to remain independent, and we expect the electoral process to remain transparent,” he said.

Receiving the coalition on behalf of the INEC chairman, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, thanked the group for its positive assessment of the Osun election.

Haruna said the conduct of the election was consistent with the commission’s commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections.

He said the commission’s performance in elections had continued to improve, expressing confidence that subsequent elections would build on the Osun experience.