A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouq Aliyu, has attributed the party’s defeat in the Osun State governorship election to deep-seated internal disagreements and a lack of support for the party’s flagbearer from within its own ranks.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Aliyu acknowledged that the party exhausted every available resource to secure victory but conceded that internal sabotage significantly undermined the campaign. “We did everything, everything possible, humanly possible, to win the election,” Aliyu said. He noted that the federal government also extended maximum support, defying predictions from political analysts who had expected a straightforward APC victory.
However, the APC stalwart revealed that the party’s structure was compromised by members who were unhappy with the choice of candidate. “You know there’s a lot of internal wranglings amongst our members,” Aliyu stated. “In Osun State, there are people who were not happy with our candidate, which is true. Some people were happy with the candidate. 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 argued that the fallout from the candidate selection process created a fracture that the party could not overcome at the polls. He suggested that the APC must review its primary mechanisms to ensure future candidates enjoy the broadest possible support among the membership. “In terms of choice of candidate, probably that’s what we have to look at to make sure that probably the person who has the largest followership amongst the party members is put up for election,” he added.
The election was ultimately won by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, who secured victory with a wide margin. The result marked a significant political shift in the state, underscoring the electoral consequences of party disunity.
Aliyu’s assessment highlights a recurring challenge for Nigerian political parties, where post-primary reconciliation often fails to translate into cohesive campaign structures. As the APC dissects the loss, the focus will likely shift to strengthening internal democracy and conflict resolution mechanisms ahead of future electoral cycles. For Osun State, the outcome reinforces the dominance of local political dynamics over federal influence, setting the stage for the incumbent administration to consolidate its mandate.
