The people of Osun State have spoken, and every serious political leader should listen carefully. The outcome of the August 15, 2026 governorship election should not be viewed merely as a victory for Governor Ademola Adeleke and a defeat for the All Progressives Congress. It should be regarded as a powerful political lesson about the changing nature of electoral politics, the importance of grassroots engagement and the consequences of placing political personalities above the people.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Ademola Adeleke the winner with 511,067 votes against the 444,815 votes recorded by the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. Adeleke won 19 of the 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The margin of 66,252 votes deserves serious reflection.
What makes the result particularly instructive is that the APC did not simply collapse. Its candidate actually improved on the party’s 2022 performance in raw votes. The more significant development was that Adeleke expanded his own electoral coalition even further. The implication is profound: the APC’s challenge was not merely inadequate mobilisation; it was the failure to convert its considerable political strength into sufficient voter confidence.
The lesson should therefore not be reduced to blaming one candidate, one campaign official, one governor, one senator or one controversial statement. That would be the easiest response, but certainly not the most intelligent one.
The APC needs an honest post-election diagnosis.
The first issue is the changing relationship between voters and political parties. Political elites may calculate elections around endorsements, defections, governors, senators, national leaders and political structures. The ordinary voter approaches the ballot box differently. The voter wants to know who understands his problems, who respects his dignity and who can make a meaningful difference in his daily life.
That is why political power should never be confused with popular acceptance.
The presence of powerful national figures in Osun could demonstrate the strength of the APC, but it could not automatically transfer votes. Indeed, when national political power is projected too aggressively, it can sometimes create the impression that outsiders are attempting to determine the political destiny of a people. Osun voters have historically demonstrated a strong sense of political independence, and that sentiment must be understood.
The APC also needed to confront the reality of incumbency. Adeleke was no longer the challenger he was in 2022. He was the sitting governor seeking another term. His administration spent considerable political capital publicising roads, schools, health interventions, workers’ welfare, pensions and other projects. Whether voters agreed with every government claim was less important than the fact that the administration succeeded in giving them tangible issues around which to assess its performance.
The opposition therefore needed to do more than say that the incumbent had failed. It needed to provide a compelling, evidence-based alternative. Voters needed to hear, community by community, what Adeleke had promised, what he delivered, what he failed to deliver and what an APC government would do differently.
Modern elections are increasingly contests of evidence, emotion and communication.
Adeleke’s unconventional political personality also deserves serious study. His dancing, accessibility, cultural connections and association with popular entertainment initially provided material for ridicule in some quarters. Yet he successfully transformed those characteristics into a political brand. His personality made him recognisable and emotionally accessible to many voters.
The lesson is not that every politician should dance. The lesson is that politics is also about emotional connection.
Davido’s influence should similarly not be exaggerated as though celebrity endorsement alone won the election. It did not. But the broader cultural visibility surrounding Adeleke helped his campaign communicate with younger voters in a political environment where traditional rallies are no longer sufficient.
The electorate itself is changing. Osun’s registered voter population rose significantly between 2022 and 2026, with young and first-time voters forming an increasingly important component of the electorate.
These voters consume political information differently. They are on WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X. They respond to short videos, authentic stories, personalities, humour and issues that directly affect their lives.
A political organisation that remembers young people only when it needs them to attend rallies has failed to understand the new political reality.
The same applies to women. Women should not be treated merely as rally participants or voting blocs. They should be partners in policy development, community leadership, economic empowerment, education, healthcare and political decision-making.
The grassroots must also cease to be an electoral fire brigade that politicians visit only when an election approaches.
A serious political organisation should know the condition of every community it claims to represent long before the campaign season begins. It should know which roads require attention, which schools lack facilities, which health centres need support, which farmers need inputs, which young people require skills, which women need access to finance and which vulnerable citizens are being left behind.
That is the kind of political structure that can withstand an election.
The APC’s next step should therefore not be another blame game. It should be a comprehensive grassroots rebuilding programme.
Every local government area should be studied. Every ward should be analysed. Every polling unit should become a source of information. The party should identify where it won, where it lost, why it lost and where its expected support failed to materialise.
Politics without data is guesswork.
The party should also examine its communication strategy. Modern political campaigns are fought every minute, not only during rallies. A careless statement can become a national headline within hours. An inflammatory remark can become an opposition campaign slogan. A 30-second video can reach more voters than a two-hour rally.
Political communication therefore requires professionalism, speed, creativity and emotional intelligence. The objective should not be propaganda or abuse. It should be the rapid presentation of facts, credible alternatives and a compelling story about the future.
Most importantly, political parties must learn to listen.
The people of Osun do not need politicians who merely tell them what they want to hear. They need leaders who are prepared to hear uncomfortable truths from them.
This is why I believe the period after the election should be used to establish a genuine people-centred political and development platform. Such a platform should bring together professionals, community leaders, young people, women, researchers, farmers, traders, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to identify the real problems confronting the state.
Imagine a network covering all 30 local government areas, documenting community needs and monitoring development projects. Imagine a quarterly Osun People’s Development Scorecard based on verifiable facts. Imagine young people being trained in public policy, public finance, entrepreneurship and civic leadership. Imagine women becoming community development leaders rather than merely campaign mobilisers.
That is how political capital should be built.
Not through noise.
Not through intimidation.
Not through endless social-media wars.
Not through the number of powerful people standing behind a candidate.
It should be built through service, ideas, integrity, evidence and trust.
The APC can recover from Osun, but recovery will require humility. The party must accept that voters are not the property of political parties. Political structures do not own the people. Political leaders are trustees of public confidence.
The same message applies to every political organisation in Osun.
The people must come first.
Political personalities must come second.
The next generation of political leadership must be judged less by the size of its entourage and more by the quality of its ideas; less by its ability to mobilise crowds and more by its ability to solve problems; less by the number of political positions it controls and more by the number of lives it improves.
The August 15 election has therefore presented Osun with an opportunity. It is an opportunity for political parties to rethink their methods, for leaders to reconnect with the grassroots and for citizens to demand more from those who seek their votes.
We must not waste the lesson.
We must learn from Osun. We must rebuild from the grassroots. We must listen to the people. And above all, we must put the people before political personalities.
Electoral defeat should not be the end of political relevance. If approached with humility and courage, it can become the beginning of political renewal.
Osun has spoken.
The real test of leadership now is whether we are humble enough to listen.
About the Author
Mr. Kabiru Adeniyi Adisa, FCA, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a finance and management professional with more than two decades of experience spanning accounting, financial management, project management, business development and community development.
He holds an HND in Accountancy from Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, and is an Associate Member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered). He serves as President General of the Guidance Community Development Foundation, an organisation committed to community development, education, vulnerable children and women empowerment.
His interests include good governance, financial accountability, youth empowerment, education, poverty reduction, women empowerment, social investment and grassroots development.
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