Abuja Politicians Responsible For APC’s Osun Election Defeat — Governor Sule 

Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has attributed the All Progressives Congress’(APC) defeat in the August 15 Osun governorship election partly to the activities of “Abuja politicians” who, according to him, arrived in the state shortly before the poll.

Sule made the comment during a press briefing in Lafia, where he stressed the influence of incumbency in governorship elections.

The governor said the APC could have won the election but for the intervention of some politicians from Abuja in the final days of the campaign.

“There was no way for APC to lose in Osun, because of some of these Abuja politicians,” Sule said.

He added that the outcome of the election demonstrated the strength of a sitting governor, stressing that incumbency remains a major factor in state elections.

“But what it means is that the power of a sitting governor is not something you can joke around. That’s the message that was sent actually in Osun,” he said.

In the August 15 election, Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, alongside Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress and 13 other candidates.

Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord, secured 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes. Salaam came a distant third with 17,180 votes.

Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured the remaining 11.

The APC has rejected the election outcome, saying that a review of the election would be carried out before further action, while President Bola Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his victory.

Sule, however, argued that Adeleke’s re-election should not be interpreted as a rejection of the achievements of the Tinubu administration.

“I’m not going to brag about anything that we are going to do, but what I can tell you is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done well,” the governor said.

He also dismissed celebrations by some opposition figures and others over the APC’s defeat, saying they had failed to understand the real dynamics behind the outcome.

“For people who are celebrating, they don’t even understand what the hell they are celebrating,” Sule said.

According to him, the major lesson from the Osun election was the ability of an incumbent governor to leverage the advantages of being in office.

“What they are celebrating is that the power of a sitting governor in Osun is what has stopped them from winning,” he said.

Sule’s comments come amid continuing political debate over the outcome of the Osun election, with the result being closely watched for its implications for the political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.