Osun APC Blames Oyetola for Governorship Election Defeat

The Osun APC Stakeholders Forum sent an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on August 18, 2026, attributing the All Progressives Congress's defeat in the August 15 governorship election to Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola. The group alleges that Oyetola created internal divisions by unilaterally selecting candidates for elective offices and appointing kinsmen and cronies to federal positions while excluding party elders and grassroots members.

In the election, incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke secured victory with 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who received 444,815 votes. The forum is now demanding an independent review of the state party leadership, a reconciliation meeting supervised by the APC National Working Committee, and a more equitable distribution of federal appointments.

As of August 20, neither the Osun APC nor Adegboyega Oyetola has responded to the allegations. The dispute highlights significant internal friction within the party following the loss of the governorship.