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OSOGBO — Fresh political friction has surfaced within the ruling All Progressives Congress following a sharp divergence between President Bola Tinubu and local party leaders over the outcome of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
Hours after President Tinubu officially acknowledged the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for conducting a transparent exercise, the APC Governorship Campaign Council in Osun State announced it would not accept the declared results.
In a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President confirmed he personally called Adeleke to offer his congratulations. Tinubu noted that the election outcome reflected the express will of the electorate and urged the governor to unify the state to foster economic progress.
However, the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign in Osun, Oluwole Oke, presented a contrasting position during a press address. Oke declared that the state chapter disagrees with INEC’s official return, maintaining that the candidate declared winner did not secure the highest number of valid votes cast.
According to official figures announced by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Adeleke—who contested under the Accord Party platform following his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party—polled 511,067 votes, defeating APC’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who recorded 444,815 votes across the 30 local government areas.
Oke disclosed that the party’s legal and technical teams have commenced a comprehensive audit of the election documents, instructing all field agents to submit copies of election result sheets (Forms EC8A, EC8B, and EC8C) for review. He added that the party is assessing both pre-election issues and compliance with the Electoral Act before determining its next legal steps.
Addressing questions regarding federal influence, the campaign director dismissed expectations that holding power at the national level automatically guarantees state-level victories, emphasizing that local political dynamics ultimately determine election outcomes.
The public contradiction between the presidency and the state party structure underscores lingering internal strain within the APC as local leaders prepare for a potential legal contest while the national leadership signals acceptance of the outcome.
