August 28, 2026
The Osun State governorship election has offered Nigeria a preview of what the 2027 general elections could become—and what they must never become. It was preceded by an ugly cocktail of defections, political brinkmanship, institutional controversy and violence. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s hurried exit from the PDP, after failing to secure a route into the APC amid resistance from Tinubu’s supporters in Osun, and his eventual adoption of the Accord Party ticket, confirmed the opportunistic fluidity of Nigerian politics. When the EFCC restricted a state government account days before the poll over an investigation involving alleged N11 billion fund movements, controversy deepened. President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed the EFCC to vacate the freezing order, warning about its timing.
More troubling was the violence. Three politically linked killings were reported at Ikire, Ilobu and Esa-Oke, while an APC campaign procession in Ede suffered a fatal truck accident that killed one person and injured seven. These incidents showed how easily political competition can slide into bloodshed. The APC then brought its national machinery into Osun. Its campaign council included governors, federal lawmakers and party leaders, with Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma as chairman and Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas as co-chairmen.
