Bennett Oghifo
The convener of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group and political analyst, Bamidele Atoyebi, has said the outcome of the Osun State governorship election shows that good governance and grassroots acceptance, rather than name-dropping President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are critical to winning elections.
Atoyebi, in an analysis of the election, congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory and described the result as a lesson for the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly its leaders in Osun State.
He said Osun voters had consistently supported incumbent governors and parties associated with them when they believed the government was performing, stressing that the pattern had been evident in previous elections.
According to him, “You cannot name-drop the President to victory; better go and give your people good governance.”
Atoyebi recalled the long-running political contest between Adeleke and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, noting that the two had faced each other in the 2018 and 2022 governorship elections, with Adeleke emerging victorious in 2022.
He also noted that Adeleke had previously delivered Osun for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the presidential and National Assembly elections, despite President Tinubu being a fellow Yoruba from the South-West.
The political analyst said the voting pattern demonstrated that Osun voters were more concerned with their immediate political interests and the performance of their governor than ethnic or presidential affiliations.