Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has asserted that President Bola Tinubu personally lost the recent governorship election in Osun State, arguing that the defeat should not be attributed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party. Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Momodu described the APC’s key figures in the state as “name droppers” who relied excessively on the president’s influence.
Momodu identified the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and former governor Gboyega Oyetola as the primary actors in this strategy. “Without any doubt whatsoever he (Tinubu) lost,” Momodu said. “Who was Oyebamiji in the scheme of things? Who was Oyetola in the scheme of things? They were all name droppers, name dropping Tinubu everywhere.”
He linked this dynamic to an incident involving an individual who allegedly threatened violence on camera. “That is why a man said on full camera that they should kill his fellow citizens, could walk in and out of a police station as if all was well,” Momodu stated, suggesting the impunity stemmed from the perceived protection of presidential affiliation.
The ADC chieftain argued that the ruling party is now anxious about the broader implications of the Osun outcome. “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.
Momodu highlighted a shift in voter behavior, noting that residents increasingly prioritize competence over political loyalty. “In Osun today, people are saying whether the governor supports Tinubu or not, they would support their own preferred candidate based on merit,” he observed.
He also credited the musician Davido for leveraging social media to monitor the electoral process. “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 alleged that vote counting was suspended at midnight in an attempt to manipulate results. “Otherwise, till midnight, at a stage they stopped counting the votes and they were going to do their abracadabra as usual,” he added.
The comments reflect growing scrutiny of the APC’s electoral strategy and the perceived limits of presidential coattails in off-cycle governorship contests, as political stakeholders begin positioning for the 2027 general Elections.
