Osun APC Stakeholders Blame Oyetola for Election Defeat, Seek Tinubu’s Intervention
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
The Osun APC Stakeholders Forum has blamed the party’s defeat in the August 15, 2026 governorship election on what it described as the alleged concentration of political appointments and candidate selection in the hands of the immediate past governor of the state and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola.
The position was contained in an open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and signed by the forum’s Coordinator, Professor Akin Adeyanju, and Secretary, Honourable Sola Ajayi, dated August 18, 2026.
The forum, which described itself as a pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), commended President Tinubu for his leadership and support for the party before and after the election.
It, however, expressed regret over the party’s defeat, despite what it described as the President’s “unwavering support” for the success of the APC in the state.
The stakeholders identified the alleged conduct of Oyetola as the “principal reason” for the party’s defeat at the poll.
According to the forum, Oyetola allegedly appointed “cronies, allies and kinsmen” to federal political positions and “single-handedly selected all candidates for elective office in the state,” while disregarding the advice of party elders who urged him to carry other stakeholders along.
The group listed several federal appointments and elective positions which it claimed were concentrated within Oyetola’s political camp.
Among those listed were the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy; the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA); the APC governorship and deputy governorship candidates; three senatorial candidates; nine House of Representatives candidates and 26 House of Assembly candidates.
The forum said the alleged pattern of exclusion weakened the party’s support base across the state’s three senatorial districts.
“We believe this pattern of exclusion left the party’s base disengaged and cost us the support of critical stakeholders and communities across the state’s three senatorial districts, contributing directly to our defeat on August 15,” the group stated.
The stakeholders urged President Tinubu to direct an immediate and independent review of the Osun APC chapter’s leadership structure and candidate-selection process ahead of future elections.
They also called for a reconciliation meeting involving Oyetola, party elders and aggrieved stakeholders in the state, under the supervision of the APC National Working Committee.
The group further appealed to the President to “restore fairness in federal appointments from Osun State,” saying representation should reflect the wider membership of the party rather than being concentrated in one political camp.
It also called for the constitution of a fact-finding committee to review the conduct of the party’s primaries and address concerns raised by party elders before the next election cycle.
As part of its recommendations for rebuilding the party, the forum proposed a state congress to be convened by the APC National Working Committee to reconstitute a “genuinely representative Osun APC executive.”
It also called for a stakeholders’ reconciliation summit involving all factions, party elders and interest groups within the state chapter.
The forum proposed a transparent and inclusive framework for future candidate selection, saying such a process should be based on broader consultation rather than the preference of any single leader.
It further urged the party to ensure that federal appointments and future candidacies were spread across the different senatorial districts and interest groups in Osun State.
The stakeholders expressed confidence that President Tinubu’s intervention would help reunite the party, rebuild the confidence of its members and strengthen the APC ahead of future elections.