OSUN 2026: Why We Won’t Congratulate Adeleke — APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it won’t be rushed to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke, who was declared the winner of last Saturday’s Osun State Governorship Election.

The party says it does not fully agree with the declaration, as it does not believe Adeleke scored the total number of valid votes.

The Director-General of the APC governorship campaign in Osun State, Oluwole Oke, made the claim in an interview on Arise TV.

According to him, the party is still reviewing the records to identify the irregularities and, if need be, will consult legally on the next steps.

Oke insisted that an election is a process, which does not necessarily end at the polls, which is why the constitution provides for remedies at the election tribunal, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

The party’s position comes in stark contrast to that of its leader, President Bola Tinubu, who just hours after INEC made a declaration, issued a statement congratulating Governor Ademola Adeleke and affirming that the election is a testament to Nigeria’s flourishing democratic landscape.

But Oke holds a different view. According to him, “what we are doing, even for future, for records, is to conduct a thorough review of the entire process and then form our opinion.”. He added, “We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes.”

The APC maintained its campaign stance that Governor Adeleke has failed in key areas of governance, citing what it called the deteriorating quality of life of the people in the State.

On Sunday August 16, Adeleke was declared winner and returned elected by INEC, polling 511,067 votes against APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.