Osun poll: APC leaders leave state as Adeleke maintains lead

Senior leaders of the All Progressives Congress, including National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, have reportedly left Osun State amid indications that the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, may lose Saturday’s election to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke.

A source within the APC delegation said Yilwatda and other party leaders departed the state late on Saturday after monitoring the election and reviewing emerging results. Some members of the delegation were expected to leave on Sunday.

The development reportedly triggered concerns within the party, with some APC members questioning the effectiveness of the campaign structure led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.

There were also calls among party members for Uzodimma and some members of the campaign council to be excluded from prominent roles in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign organisation.

The APC had invested heavily in the Osun election, with Yilwatda previously describing the contest as a “must-win” for the party and a test ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party constituted a 276-member national campaign council in July, with Uzodimma as chairman, while Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas served as co-chairmen. Wole Oke was appointed Director-General.

The campaign received further backing on Thursday when Akpabio, Yilwatda, Uzodimma, Abbas, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola and several APC governors and leaders attended the party’s mega rally in Osogbo.

Despite the high-profile mobilisation, emerging figures from election observers continued to show Adeleke ahead of Oyebamiji.

As of the latest collation from 3,590 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, Adeleke had 508,143 votes, representing 52.32 per cent, while Oyebamiji had 434,334 votes.

The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, was trailing the two leading contenders.

Meanwhile, INEC’s IReV portal showed that 3,607 of the 3,763 expected polling unit results had been uploaded as of 1:33am on Sunday, representing 95.85 per cent.

INEC had yet to formally declare the winner as collation of the outstanding results continued.