Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has delivered a candid and damning post-mortem of his party's crushing defeat in Saturday's Osun State governorship election, declaring that the APC was not undone by the opposition but by internal divisions, complacency, and the anger of its own members who abandoned the party over its candidate. Speaking on Arise Television's Morning Show on Monday, August 17, 2026, Aliyu admitted that while the party did everything humanly possible to secure victory, it was ultimately sabotaged from within by disgruntled members who refused to support the governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
According to Aliyu, the discontent within the APC ranks was palpable in the run-up to the election, with many party members unhappy with the choice of candidate and withdrawing their support out of anger. "There was a lot of internal wrangling in the APC in Osun State in the buildup to the election," he said, noting that while some members supported Oyebamiji, others were deeply dissatisfied with his emergence and failed to do what was expected of them. He pointedly stated: "Certainly some members of our party did not do what they are supposed to do because out of anger, really they didn't like their candidate. So that's the major problem internally that we had. It's amongst us."
Aliyu's admission that "the APC defeated itself in Osun State" is a significant departure from the usual post-election blame game that often characterises Nigerian politics. Rather than pointing fingers at the electorate or questioning the legitimacy of the outcome, the APC chieftain acknowledged that the party's biggest challenge in Osun may not have been its opponents, but the divisions within its own ranks. He called on the party to review its candidate-selection process and ensure that future candidates enjoy broader support among members, suggesting that "the person who has the largest followership amongst the party members is put up for election."
Aliyu also condemned what he described as an "overkill" mentality among some APC members and supporters, who, he said, took Governor Ademola Adeleke for granted and believed the federal government would simply ensure the party's victory. "Some thought that probably the federal government would come and just drive everybody and write the results," he said. This complacency, he argued, led the party to neglect the grassroots work that ultimately cost them the election. He also distanced the party from the controversial remarks made by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who was captured in a viral video allegedly calling for the killing of opposition members, describing the senator's comments as "very wrong."
Despite the defeat, Aliyu commended the Federal Government for allowing the election to take place without manipulating the outcome, saying the result had disproved predictions that the APC would simply impose its preferred outcome. "We did everything, everything possible, humanly possible, to win the election, and kudos also to our government," he said, while acknowledging that the people of Osun had spoken and their decision should be respected. "The Osun people decided they wanted the Accord Party. And so be it. And honestly, I mean, I congratulate the people of Osun State, because this is democracy," he added.
The election saw Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party secure a decisive victory with 511,067 votes, defeating Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Aliyu's candid admission that internal divisions and candidate discontent were the primary reasons for the APC's loss has sparked intense debate within the party and beyond. His call for a review of the candidate-selection process and his acknowledgment that the party must address its internal grievances before future elections have been widely interpreted as a warning to the APC leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections. For the APC, the task now is to learn from the defeat, rebuild confidence among its members, and address the grievances that emerged during the election season. Whether the party can turn that lesson into a stronger political organisation will depend largely on how seriously it confronts the internal problems that Aliyu has identified.
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