A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has described the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as a setback for President Bola Tinubu, rather than the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Momodu, who backed Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of the election, said the contest was largely a battle between Adeleke and the influence of the President, arguing that the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji and former governor Gboyega Oyetola relied heavily on Tinubu’s name during the campaign.
He said: “Without any doubt whatsoever he (Tinubu) lost. 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 and that is why a man said who 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.
“And 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.
“In Osun Today, people are saying whether the governor supports Tinubu or not, they would support their own preferred candidate based on merit.
“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.
“Otherwise, till midnight, at a stage they stopped counting the votes and they were going to do their abracadabra as usual.”
Momodu also attributed Adeleke’s victory to his strong grassroots presence and connection with voters across the state.
The governor, who had been backed by Momodu before the election, secured re-election, defeating his closest challenger, Oyebamiji.
Explaining his confidence in Adeleke’s victory, Momodu said he had closely followed the governor’s political trajectory and believed his relationship with the people gave him an advantage.
“It was obvious that this man is a grassroot man, very down to earth, loves his people. I have followed his trajectory with keen interest, so it was obvious to me that the people love him. I don’t know how he did it but he made sure that he erected a major project in every major part of the state,” he said.
Momodu also praised the role played by social media during the election, particularly the efforts of Governor Adeleke’s superstar nephew Davido in keeping voters informed about developments during the exercise.
The Osun election was held on Saturday, August 15, with Adeleke emerging victorious after polling 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji of the APC scored 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the ADC came third with 17,180 votes.
