They may not have featured on the ballot paper, but the outcome of Saturday’s Osun governorship election has left several prominent political figures among its losers. Beyond the candidates who contested the poll, the election also became a test of influence, political strength and the ability of key power brokers to deliver their constituencies and supporters. From President Bola Tinubu and APC governors to former governors and party chieftains, several influential figures threw their weight behind the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in a bid to wrest power from Governor Ademola Adeleke. But as the results emerged, some of these political heavyweights were left with little to show for their efforts. While some managed to deliver their polling units to the APC, others could not even secure their own units for the party they backed. Here are some of the prominent figures who, despite not being candidates in the election, emerged as losers from the outcome. TINUBU President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Osun State is widely believed to be his ancestral home, while Lagos remains the state with which he is most closely associated. President Bola Tinubu lost both states during the 2023 presidential election. An APC victory in the Saturday’s election in Osun State would have placed Tinubu in a good position ahead of next year’s election. Few days into the election, Tinubu summoned no fewer than 76 leaders of the APC in Osun State to the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, and reportedly demanded that they work together and give the APC victory. Reports had it that the meeting, held late at night, followed a report by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Ribadu’s report indicated that several APC leaders in the state were unhappy and had been sidelined in the party’s affairs, including the ongoing campaign. Tinubu, according to reports, ordered the APC leaders to close ranks and ensure that the party’s candidate emerged victorious at the poll. The President maintained a neutral stance openly throughout the electoral process and even demanded a free and credible election from INEC. When the EFCC froze the Osun government account, Tinubu ordered it to be unfrozen. “I must state that I feel deeply embarrassed, not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order, but by the timing of the agency’s action,” the President said. But many observers believed that, despite Tinubu’s public posture, he was desperate to have Osun State back in the APC’s fold, hence the deployment of the federal might in the election. APC GOVERNORS Adeleke contested not just against Osun APC and its candidate, but also against his counterparts from the ruling party. The ruling party deployed virtually all the APC governors to participate in the campaign and mobilise support to ensure victory for the party. During the campaign, some of the governors who stormed Osun did not mince words, calling out Adeleke and saying he would be sent packing on August 15. Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, stoked controversy when he labelled Adeleke a dancing governor and accused him of neglecting governance. “Before somebody signs a paper, he will dance. Are you not tired? For four years, this man has been dancing. Before he takes breakfast, before he drinks tea, he will dance,” Okpebholo told supporters. Expectedly, Adeleke and his nephew, Davido, clapped back at the Edo governor. Davido mocked the Edo governor by posting what looked to be Okpebholo’s WAEC results on his Instagram Stories. Although the singer did not include a commentary with the post, it was generally understood as a response to the governor’s remarks regarding Adeleke. Imo Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the APC Campaign Council, and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, were also caught in the attacks. Davido took a swipe at the Kwara State governor over his comments at the APC mega rally in Osun. AbdulRazaq, during the rally, stressed the need to have a governor who can go to Aso Rock and attract good things to Osun State. The Kwara governor also said that Osun people need a governor who has access to President Bola Tinubu. Responding in a post on his verified X handle, Davido wrote, “Your accessibility to the President or the Villa brought nothing but insecurity to Kwarans. These so-called leaders are watery.” OYETOLA Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola had been defeated by Adeleke as a sitting governor in 2022, and many felt Oyebamiji’s pick by him was to take his pound of flesh from the incumbent four years after he left office. Oyetola was ‘sure’ the APC would return to power and boastfully told Adeleke, “We will retrieve the power from you.” Speaking in Yoruba during his address to APC members a few days before the election, Oyetola said Adeleke’s complaints suggested that the governor had realised he was losing control of the state. He also dismissed Adeleke’s endorsement of President Tinubu, insisting
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