Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has firmly rejected the growing conspiracy theory that the All Progressives Congress's (APC) defeat in Saturday's Osun State governorship election was a deliberate trade-off to secure Governor Ademola Adeleke's support for President Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid.
In a series of posts on his official X account on Monday, Baba-Ahmed insisted that the Accord Party's victory was a genuine reflection of the people's will and that the APC's loss should not be viewed through the lens of political horse-trading. "I am not one of those supporting the conspiracy theory that the APC's defeat in the Osun governorship election is a trade-off for the governor's support for Tinubu in 2027," Baba-Ahmed wrote.
The former presidential adviser, who served in the Office of the Vice President, argued that the election outcome demonstrated that the ruling party could be defeated in a free and fair contest. "I prefer to believe Accord Party won fairly. I believe the APC can be defeated in fair elections. Osun State will reject it in 2027," he declared.
The comments come amid intense political debate following Governor Adeleke's decisive re-election victory. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15 poll after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes. Adeleke's victory saw him win in 19 of the state's 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11.
The political speculation surrounding the election had been fuelled by Adeleke's public endorsement of President Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid, despite belonging to a different political party. The governor had declared his support for the President ahead of the poll, leading some observers to suggest that the APC might have been willing to concede Osun in exchange for the governor's backing at the national level. However, Baba-Ahmed dismissed such interpretations, insisting that the Osun electorate had delivered a genuine verdict.
Beyond the election result, Baba-Ahmed also took aim at President Tinubu's recent intervention in the controversy surrounding the freezing of Osun State Government accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The anti-graft agency had restricted access to the state's funds as part of its activities, sparking a legal challenge from the Osun Government. President Tinubu subsequently directed the EFCC to lift the restrictions, a move that drew both praise and criticism.
Baba-Ahmed described the President's intervention as "clumsy" and warned that it had only worsened the situation. "The clumsy intervention by PBAT on EFCC/Osun State frozen funds just made everything worse," he wrote, using the President's initials. "PBAT, even as a maximum president, has no power to stop EFCC's operations."
The former adviser further criticised the anti-graft agency's handling of the matter, suggesting that public confidence in the commission had been severely damaged. "EFCC itself has damaged itself badly. It will be difficult not to see a good cop-bad cop game here," Baba-Ahmed added.
Baba-Ahmed's remarks highlight the growing scrutiny over the independence of anti-graft agencies and the political calculations surrounding the 2027 electoral cycle. With the Osun outcome settled, attention now shifts to how the ruling party addresses its performance in the South-West stronghold ahead of the next general elections. His prediction that Osun will reject the APC again in 2027 serves as a sobering reminder that the party's internal challenges may extend far beyond the loss of a single state governorship.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments