The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the declaration of Ademola Adeleke as winner of the Osun State governorship election, insisting that the governor did not secure the highest number of valid votes.
The APC Director-General of the Osun State Governorship Campaign, Oluwole Oke, disclosed this while speaking on Arise News, saying the party had commenced an audit of the election results and electoral process.
APC demands access to election documents
Oke said the party had directed its polling agents to submit copies of Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C to its secretariat for examination.
“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” Oke said.
He explained that the party would review the available electoral records before determining its next course of action.
“When you have a project of this nature with the outcome announced by INEC, we will not be in a haste, nor shall we be under pressure without doing the needful. The needful that we need to do is to evaluate the process, get all the records, review the process, and then form an opinion,” he said.
Party to examine alleged electoral irregularities
According to Oke, the APC would also examine events that occurred before and during the election against the provisions of the Electoral Act and other relevant laws.
“There are a lot of issues before us. There are a lot of issues for determination, even on a pre-election basis,” he said.
He added that the party would not make a definitive statement until it completed its assessment.
“Until we do that and form our opinion, we won’t be able to go further to say anything on this,” Oke said.
Oke dismisses concerns over APC divisions
Addressing reports of internal divisions within the APC, Oke said disagreements were common within political parties, noting that the Accord Party also had internal disputes.
“If you are talking about internal divisions, even the Accord Party itself is divided. The chairman of the Accord Party endorsed our candidate openly in public. Within a political party, disputes and misunderstandings are bound, but the fact remains that the party comes together at the polls to ensure victory,” he said.
APC defends EFCC account freeze
Oke also defended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s freezing of Osun State Government accounts shortly before the election, describing the action as part of the agency’s lawful responsibilities.
“When you have a constitutional body, a lawful agency of government like the EFCC performing their lawful duty, I don’t see anything wrong in that. I’m not the EFCC. The EFCC must have their reasons for freezing the accounts of the Osun State government,” he said.
He, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for directing the accounts to be unfrozen, while maintaining that the issue was separate from the APC’s position on the election.
‘Politics is local’ — Oke
On allegations that the APC benefited from “federal might” during the election, Oke dismissed the claim, arguing that the presence of federal officials and APC leaders in the state did not guarantee electoral victory.
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“When people allude to the fact that our party is the ruling party and talk about federal might, it doesn’t work like that. Politics is local,” he said.
According to him, the participation of APC governors and other party leaders in Osun was primarily to demonstrate solidarity with the party’s candidate.
APC hails voter turnout
Oke described the voter turnout during the election as a positive development, saying it reflected growing awareness of civic responsibilities among Nigerians.
“The takeaway from this exercise is the level of turnout. This election shows that Nigerian voters are more aware and conscious of their civic duty that they need to perform,” he said.
He also criticised the Adeleke administration’s performance in areas including education, healthcare and support for farmers, saying the party’s ongoing review would consider broader issues surrounding the election.
“When you look at this in totality, you can see the failures of government glaring in the citizens’ faces,” Oke said.
He urged Nigerians to allow the APC to complete its review, promising that the party would announce its findings after examining the electoral documents and processes.
