A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, has said President Bola Tinubu, rather than the All Progressives Congress, lost the just-concluded Osun State governorship election.
Momodu, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said the outcome of the election should serve as a warning to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that the election was widely presented as a contest involving Tinubu because the party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola repeatedly associated themselves with the President during the campaign.
“Without any doubt whatsoever Tinubu lost, who was Oyebamiji in the scheme of things? Who was Oyetola in the scheme of things?” Momodu said.
He described Oyebamiji and Oyetola as “name droppers”, claiming that they relied heavily on Tinubu’s name and influence during the campaign instead of allowing the election to focus on their own records and popularity.
According to him, the result showed that voters could make their own choices despite the political influence of the Federal Government and the support of national political leaders.
Momodu said the APC was worried that the Osun election could influence the political thinking of voters in other parts of the country ahead of the 2027 elections.
“And the reason I would tell you is the fear of January 2027, they are afraid that the Osun election will send a wrong signal to the electorates across Nigeria,” he said.
The ADC chieftain said the election had demonstrated that voters were increasingly interested in candidates they considered capable of representing their interests rather than simply supporting candidates because they had the backing of powerful political figures.
He said the situation in Osun could have wider implications for the 2027 presidential and general elections if voters in other states adopted the same approach.
“In Osun today, people are saying whether the governor supports Tinubu or not, they would support their own preferred candidate based on merit,” he said.
The comments came after the Osun governorship election in which the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party faced the APC candidate, Oyebamiji, in a closely watched contest.
The election attracted significant national attention because of the political importance of Osun and the wider rivalry between the ruling APC and opposition parties ahead of 2027.
The poll was also conducted amid heightened security and political tension. The police deployed thousands of personnel across the state, while movement restrictions and other measures were introduced to prevent violence and electoral malpractice.
Political parties and their supporters also raised allegations during the election over the conduct of security agencies and the possibility of interference. Some of the claims could not be independently verified.
Momodu, who has been openly critical of the Tinubu administration, also praised popular Nigerian singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, for his role in using social media to provide updates during the election.
He said Davido’s online activities helped to keep voters and members of the public informed about developments during the poll.
“I’m happy with what Davido did with social media, making sure that they were aware, he was updating them regularly, I think that also saved the day,” Momodu said.
He further alleged that the vote-counting process was temporarily halted at a stage and suggested that attempts could have been made to manipulate the outcome.
“Otherwise, till midnight, at a stage they stopped counting the votes and they were going to do their abracadabra as usual,” he alleged.
Momodu did not provide evidence during the interview to support the claim of an attempt to manipulate the results.
The Independent National Electoral Commission conducted the election under tight security after weeks of intense campaigns by the major political parties.
The Osun election has been closely watched by political actors because of its potential impact on the opposition’s strategy for 2027. The ADC is part of the wider opposition movement seeking to challenge the APC at the federal level.
The outcome has also renewed debate over the strength of the ruling party at the state level and the influence of President Tinubu in states where opposition parties remain strong.
For the APC, the result is likely to lead to further review of its campaign strategy and its approach to the 2027 elections. Opposition parties, meanwhile, are expected to use the Osun outcome to argue that the ruling party can be defeated if opposition forces unite and present candidates with strong grassroots support.
Momodu said the major lesson from Osun was that voters should be allowed to make their choices based on the performance, credibility and programs of candidates.