The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, describing the outcome as a major setback for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a warning ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The ADC, however, demanded a full explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the reported interruption in the uploading of election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), alleging that the development raised serious questions about the integrity of the process.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Bolaji Abdullahi, its National Publicity Secretary, the party said Adeleke’s victory was not merely a personal triumph but a victory for the people of Osun State and opposition forces that worked together against what it described as “APC tyranny.”
Abdullahi said the outcome demonstrated that “when a people make up their minds about the future they want, there is a limit to what intimidation, money and the machinery of government can accomplish against their collective will.”
The ADC also commended Osun voters for resisting what it described as overwhelming intimidation and manipulation, arguing that the election had shown that no political structure could permanently overpower a determined electorate.
The party said the scale of APC mobilisation for the election was unprecedented, alleging that more than 30 governors, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, federal and state legislators and other senior government officials were deployed to Osun in support of Bola Oyebamiji, the APC candidate.
According to the ADC, the APC sought to make Osun a demonstration of what Nigerians should expect in 2027, but instead suffered a political defeat that should serve as a lesson to the ruling party.
“They wanted to make Osun an example of what we should expect in 2027. What they got instead was a chastening lesson that, in a democracy, you may control the government and all the forces it commands, but you cannot control the people’s minds or obtain their consent by force,” he said.
ADC raises alarm over IReV stoppage
The ADC said its intelligence indicated that at about 8pm on Saturday, the uploading of results to IReV was halted when it became apparent that the APC was losing the election.
The party demanded that INEC explain why the uploading stopped and who authorised the interruption, insisting that Nigerians deserved a clear account of what happened.
“INEC must tell Nigerians precisely what happened. The party alleged that the interruption lasted nearly four hours and expressed concern that the development could have been part of an attempt to manipulate the outcome or render the election inconclusive.
“ADC has reasonable grounds to believe that an attempt was made by the ruling party to tamper with the results of the election and to render the process, at least, inconclusive,” the statement said.
The party credited Adeleke, election monitors and observers with raising timely concerns over the development, arguing that their vigilance helped prevent what it called an “attempted heist.”
The ADC said the incident was particularly significant ahead of 2027, warning that the Osun experience should not be dismissed as an isolated event.
‘APC will not surrender power easily’
Abdullahi further warned opposition parties and Nigerians against becoming complacent following Adeleke’s victory, arguing that the ruling party would deploy its political machinery aggressively as the 2027 elections approach.
“What is clear is this: APC will not surrender power easily unless they are confronted with inevitability, as it happened in Osun,” he said.
He added that any attempt by the APC to portray its Osun defeat as evidence of its commitment to free and fair elections would amount to “damage control.”
The ADC said the Osun election had demonstrated the power of opposition cooperation, voter determination and vigilance by election observers.
“If Osun has taught us anything this weekend, it is this: A government may deploy power everywhere, but it cannot deploy it inside the ballot booth,” Abdullahi said.
He urged Nigerians to see the election as evidence that political power could be changed peacefully through the ballot, stressing that citizens were not condemned to endure poor governance indefinitely.
“The time to end APC bad governance has come,” the ADC declared.
