Former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday, cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against assuming that governors guarantee electoral victories, stressing that elections are ultimately decided by the people.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi’s memoir The Loyalist, Aregbesola said recent election results prove that governors do not determine outcomes. “Governors do not win elections, the people do. What we require from the government overseeing the election is a commitment to a free and fair process. So first, commit yourself to a free and fair election, and let us see what the result will be. That’s what we’re asking,” he declared.
He pointed to the 2023 elections in the South West and South East as evidence. “In the Southwest, the APC controlled all but one state. Despite this, the party’s maximum performance in that election was 55%, with the other parties sharing the rest. The same applied in Lagos. The APC candidate lost his ward, local government, and state. So please, for goodness’ sake, where is it claimed that governors win elections against the people’s will?”
On the South East, he added: “The result is even more striking. The APC had only 5.8% of the total vote from that zone. I’ll stop at that. The results of these two zones clearly show that governors do not win elections, the people do.”
Aregbesola also expressed concern over the wave of defections to the APC, including Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and several PDP governors. “Something is going on that is worrisome, especially for those of us who are Democrats. The fact that certain governors are defecting to the APC shows that our unity is weakened. I laugh because recent statistics in Nigeria, based on the last election, do not support this belief,” he said.
He urged APC leaders to prioritize credibility in the 2027 elections: “Commit to a free and fair electoral process. We will then see if it is true that governors win elections.”
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