The ruling All Progressives Congress’s (APC) defeat in the just concluded Osun State governorship poll is a big loss to many and not just the incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola who featured on the ballot.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the winner of the election, leaving many party leaders to lick their wounds.
The Returning Officer for the election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, announced that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes, defeating Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes in the election.
According to INEC, the PDP won 17 of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state, while the APC won the remaining 13.
Some of the political leaders who shared in the defeat are:
BOLA TINUBU
If the outcome of the Saturday’s Osun poll is anything to go by, the APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has just lost one his strongholds in Southwest, ahead of the 2023 election. However, it is believed that two elections cannot end the same way.
At the APC’s rally in Osogbo, Tinubu was confident that Oyetola would be re-elected as he labelled other parties ‘mushroom groups.’
“PDP and mushroom parties. Like Labour party. They say they are labour, they will labour till death,” Tinubu said in Yoruba.
Tinubu attended the rally alongside Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and several APC Governors, including campaign lead, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
Other Governors present at the rally include Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Babagana Zulum of Borno State and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.
National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu and the party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Kassim Shettima, were also present.
It was believed that Tinubu was in the state on the election day, but had to leave when defeat was staring his candidate in the eye.
He reportedly left Osun to Abuja where he met with House of Assembly Speakers from the party.
BUHARI
The APC’s flag President Muhammadu Buhari handed over to Oyetola, at the State House, on July 6 did not translate to victory. Buhari had expressed confidence in the Party winning the election, fairly and squarely.
But he was wrong as his party was defeated, squarely.
ABDULLAHI ADAMU
Perhaps, this is the party’s major defeat since Senator Abdullahi Adamu emerged as the party’s National Chairman in March this year.
While inaugurating Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Osun Campaign Committee, Adamu said he had zero tolerance for failure.
“I urge you to go there and do whatever is doable within the laws of Nigeria and our electoral laws to win.
“My tolerance level and this national working committee level for failure is really really zero. Most of you have been statesmen in your own right (by the virtue of the) offices you held before today. But for this exercise, take off the big guns, take off the creepy suits wear and go down the trenches to bring that victory we want,” Adamu said.
IYIOLA OMISORE
Senator Christopher Iyiola Omisore
The APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is another loser in this election. Omisore officially joined the APC from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in February 2021. However, his new relationship with the ruling party started during the Osun governorship rerun of 2018 when he suddenly began a beautiful bride.
In the 2018 governorship election, Omisore as the SDP candidate came a distant third.
But the APC was in a dilemma as the party’s candidate, Oyetola, was narrowly losing to PDP’s Adeleke before a rerun election was declared in seven polling units in four local government areas: Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South.
Although Omisore had come a distant third, two of the local government areas for the rerun, Ife North and Ife South, were considered his strongholds and had some of the largest votes.
Delegations from both APC and PDP took turns at Omisore’s house to beg him for support, but he finally backed APC’s candidate who later won the controversial election narrowly.
Omisore was compensated with the APC National secretary position in the last convention held in Abuja. In this election, Omisore could not assert his authority.
BISI AKANDE
Bisi Akande, the pioneer chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor in the state, lost in his Ila Local Government Area, to the PDP.
Though he won at his polling unit in ward 04, Isedo area of the ancient Ila-Orangun town, his candidate, Oyetola, lost after the total votes cast were counted at the local government level.
Akande failed to deliver a majority of the polling units in the local government to his party.
DELE ADELEKE
Dele was the PDP Returning Officer during the 2018 governorship election in Osun State. But the table turned when he ran for the party’s ticket against his uncle Ademola Adeleke, who is now the governor-elect.
He later pulled out of the primary, as he allegedly backed his uncle’s opponent in the primary.
Davido mocked his cousin, Dele, after Adeleke clinched the ticket.
Responding to a tweet by Dele Adeleke on his withdrawal from the PDP primary race, Davido wrote: “You’re talking to the one person wey vote you abi, I don’t understand which one be all supporters … cousin Dele, frog jump loading.”
OLUWO OF IWO
The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, is among those who suffered a major loss in the election. Although monarchs are not supposed to be partisan given their roles in the society, the king made it public that he was supporting Oyetola.
He even boasted that he would deliver over 90,000 votes for the governor but in the end, Oyetola had a marginal lead of 507 over his PDP rival. While the outgoing governor polled 17,421 votes, Adeleke trailed with 16,914.
After casting his vote at Unit 1 Ward 2, in Iwo town Iwo Local Government, said he canvassed votes for Oyetola because of his prompt payment of salaries.
He said, “I am confident of delivering 90,000 votes. It is not easy for the governor to move from the status quo and do what is right. He has been paying full salary. Osun is a civil servant state and the people depend on salaries.
“He has been paying debt inherited and didn’t use the money for frivolities. I have told my people to vote for the APC and they will vote for APC. The governor is doing a great job. I believe the person doing a great job should continue. I want all persons to vote peacefully.”
(Daily Trust)
