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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed confidence in defeating its rivals in the forthcoming Osun State governorship election, provided the poll is conducted transparently and without undue interference.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said his confidence was strengthened after visiting Osogbo and witnessing what he described as significant grassroots support for the ADC and its candidate, Najeem Salaam.
Abdullahi said he initially had doubts about the party’s chances before the visit but was encouraged by the reception and level of support observed on the ground.
“I was part of the team that visited Osogbo three days ago. Before we went to Osogbo, I had my concerns whether we are truly in a position to challenge for power in Osun State in this weekend’s election.
“But with what I saw on ground in Osogbo, I am confident—I remain confident, and my confidence got boosted—that if this is going to be a free and fair election, ADC will win this election.”
However, the ADC spokesman raised concerns over the heavy presence of security personnel across the state, describing what he called the “militarisation” of Osun’s political space as troubling.
“My concern is whether it will be a free and fair election, because what I also saw is the militarization of the Osun political space in a way that I have not seen in my entire adult life.
“When you go to Osun State, you will think that that part of the country is at war, because I saw mobilisation of military men, armed men, and you would wonder what is going on here.”
Abdullahi said the scale of security mobilisation had raised questions about the credibility of the election, adding that the Federal Government’s approach was “really scary.”
He also dismissed suggestions that Salaam’s performance at an Arise News town hall had damaged his electoral prospects, arguing that voters would be more interested in his plans for the state than his command of English.
According to him, Salaam clearly articulated his plans for pensioners, job creation and other socioeconomic challenges facing residents.
“I listened to Najeem Salaam, especially when he spoke in Yoruba and articulated what he will do for the people of Osun State.
“He talked about what he will do for pensioners, how he will create jobs, and I thought he was quite clear about those things. I thought he was quite articulate.
“So if he doesn’t speak the English language that you want him to speak, the people of Osun State will not vote for him because he’s able to speak a certain kind of English language. They will vote for him because he’s able to speak to the needs that they have.”
On the ADC’s previous electoral performances, Abdullahi argued that results from past off-cycle elections should not be used to determine the party’s current strength, noting that such polls had their peculiarities.
“I don’t think the results of those elections are actually a comment or a basis to conclude about the strength of the ADC, especially looking at the next general election.
“Off-season elections have their own peculiarities. Osun could be different.”
Abdullahi also accused President Bola Tinubu of creating an environment in which political actors could interpret his reported “all is fair in politics” remark as justification for extreme measures during elections.
“I don’t want to blame Senator Fadahunsi. I blame President Bola Tinubu. He got his imprimatur for what he said from President Bola Tinubu. He got his authorization from President Bola Tinubu.
“President Bola Tinubu was the one who said ‘all is fair in politics.’ When the President of the Federal Republic says ‘all is fair in politics,’ it means that you can maim, you can kill, you can steal, you can do whatever it takes, just deliver victory.”
He added that presidential statements could be interpreted by political actors as permission to engage in misconduct.
“A president doesn’t need to say everything. When a president says ‘all is fair in politics,’ you are authorizing any kind of behaviour. A subordinate, someone who looks up to you, can interpret it anywhere they like.”
The ADC spokesman further claimed that he had received intelligence about an alleged plan to arrest former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, before the election.
“I received intelligence that they are planning to arrest Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola before Saturday’s election. Who does that?
“We see the country is not at war. It’s just an election, one state election. But it appears they are determined to prove a point that the President is historically powerful.”
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Abdullahi provided no evidence to substantiate the alleged arrest plan.
Turning to the 2027 presidential election, he maintained that there was growing public dissatisfaction with Tinubu but said the opposition’s major challenge was converting that sentiment into votes at the ballot box.
“We are at a point in this country today where we are seeing something that we have never seen before.
“The question is whether we can translate the dissatisfaction of the people into real electoral action on D-Day. There’s no question anymore whether the people want President Bola Tinubu gone by 2027.”
On the opposition coalition, Abdullahi said the ADC remained confident it could defeat Tinubu even if opposition parties failed to produce a single presidential candidate.
He said a broad-based coalition would make the task easier but would not be a prerequisite for victory.
“We, as African Democratic Congress, are convinced we will win the 2027 election.
“When we started this coalition-building effort, it was to bring everybody into the room, because we believe that the work of opposition is easier if we are able to line up behind a single presidential candidate.
“But it doesn’t make it impossible. It only makes it easier. It doesn’t make defeating President Bola Tinubu impossible.”
Abdullahi also cited the ADC’s internal polling as the basis for its confidence, claiming that economic hardship and declining support for Tinubu, particularly in parts of northern Nigeria, would work against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We conducted our polls, and that’s part of the reason that we are confident that in this election in 2027, President Bola Tinubu will lose.
“The basis for it is very simple. They cannot win.”
He argued that worsening poverty and economic hardship had eroded support for the Tinubu administration.
“When you mention poverty levels—you were mentioning worsening poverty—79 million Nigerians are on the verge of starvation. That’s not opposition narrative. That is the World Bank report, saying 79 million Nigerians, representing 33%, are on the verge of starvation.”
Abdullahi also criticised claims that Nigeria’s economy was recovering, saying government officials should consider the experiences of ordinary Nigerians.
“They keep telling us the economy is doing well. I listened to the Chairman of FIRS a few days ago saying the economy is out of the woods. The economy is out of the woods, seriously?
“Go tell that to the poor woman that cannot feed her children.”
On the ICPC’s interim report into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Abdullahi accused the agency of failing to establish how the controversial council was created and operated.
“The report did not tell us what happened. The report only told us who are not responsible.
“We said it from the start, that the Federal Government of Nigeria under the APC/Bola Tinubu were only interested in exonerating themselves, rather than investigating what really happened.”
He questioned why the ICPC released an interim report before completing its investigation.
“Our position is, if this is an interim report, why don’t you just simply pass it to the President and wait until you have conducted a full report?”
Abdullahi argued that the alleged creation and operation of the council could not have been carried out without the involvement or knowledge of senior government officials.
“I worked in the Federal Government before as a federal minister, and I know it is absolutely impossible for an individual to do what he did without the full backing of very senior government officials.
“So there’s a lot that they are hiding,” he claimed.
