Fresh Crises Hit APC As Party Leaders Disagree With President Tinubu Over Adeleke’s Victory

Fresh Crises Hit APC

 

OpenLife News reports that fresh cracks have emerged in the All Progressives Congress, APC, as top leaders in Osun State openly rejected the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke, hours after President Bola Tinubu congratulated him and hailed the election as a win for democracy.

The contradiction has exposed deep divisions within the ruling party over the outcome of the August 15 Osun governorship poll.

Tinubu Congratulates Adeleke, Hails Democratic Process

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said he called Adeleke to congratulate him on his re-election.

“I called Governor Ademola Adeleke earlier today to congratulate him on his election victory in Osun State. His victory once again confirmed the confidence the people of Osun State have in him,”
Tinubu said.

The President urged Adeleke to “unite the people of Osun State and rally them for growth, stability, and social and economic progress,” and commended INEC and security agencies for what he described as a peaceful and transparent election.

“The outcome of the election reflects the will of the people and is a fitting assurance that democracy will continue to flourish in our land,” he added.

Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party after defecting from PDP, was declared winner at 7:24am on Sunday by State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole. He polled 511,067 votes to defeat APC’s Bola Oyebamiji who scored 444,815 votes. Adeleke won 19 of 30 LGAs.

APC Osun Rejects Result, Begins Audit

But in a direct contradiction of the President’s stance, the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign in Osun, Oluwole Oke, said the party does not accept INEC’s declaration.

“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” Oke stated.

He said the party has commenced an audit of the election, and has directed all agents to submit copies of Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C for review.

“When you have a project of this nature with the outcome announced by INEC, we will not be in a haste, nor shall we be under pressure without doing the needful. The needful that we need to do is to evaluate the process, get all the records, review the process, and then form an opinion,”  he said.

Oke added that there were “a lot of issues for determination, even on a pre-election basis,” and the party would examine the election against the provisions of the Electoral Act before taking a final position.

Politics Is Local – APC Dismisses Federal Might Claims

Oke dismissed suggestions that the APC’s control of the federal government should have translated to victory in Osun.

“When people allude to the fact that our party is the ruling party and talk about federal might, it doesn’t work like that. Politics is local,” he insisted.

On the EFCC’s freezing of Osun government accounts before the election, Oke commended President Tinubu for directing the agency to unfreeze them, but said the issue was “not relevant in this current case.”

He also downplayed reports of internal division, saying disputes are common in parties. “Even the Accord Party itself is divided. The chairman of the Accord Party endorsed our candidate openly in public,” he noted.

What This Means For APC Ahead of 2027

The open disagreement between the President and his party’s Osun leadership highlights the tension within the APC after losing a key state.

While Tinubu has chosen to embrace the result and call for unity, APC leaders on the ground are questioning the process and preparing to challenge it.

Political observers say the crisis could have implications for the party’s cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.