The group accuses the former governor of concentrating appointments and candidate selection among his allies in an open letter to President Tinubu

Osun APC stakeholders have blamed the party’s defeat in the August 15, 2026 governorship election on former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, accusing the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy of running an increasingly centralised political structure in the state.

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The allegation was contained in an open letter dated August 18, 2026, and addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Osun APC Stakeholders Forum, a group that described itself as a pressure group within the All Progressives Congress.

The letter was signed by the forum’s Coordinator, Professor Akin Adeyanju, and Secretary, Honourable Sola Ajayi.

The group said Oyetola’s alleged concentration of party leadership, federal appointments and electoral nominations around his allies had weakened the APC’s internal cohesion and contributed significantly to its defeat.

“We respectfully submit that the principal reason for our defeat was the conduct of the immediate past governor of the state and Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola,” the forum said.

The stakeholders specifically accused Oyetola of appointing “cronies, allies and kinsmen” to federal political positions and of “single-handedly” selecting the party’s candidates for elective positions in the state.

According to the group, the approach disregarded advice from party elders who had urged the former governor to accommodate other tendencies within the Osun APC.

The accusations come days after the APC lost the governorship election to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji secured 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent a margin of 66,252 votes.

For the Osun APC stakeholders, the result was not simply an electoral setback but evidence of deeper organisational problems within the party.

The forum alleged that 26 federal political appointments had been concentrated around Oyetola’s political camp. It also raised concerns over the distribution of party and campaign positions across the state.

Arise News reported that the group alleged that Oyetola’s political influence extended to the selection of the governorship and deputy governorship candidates, three senatorial candidates, nine House of Representatives candidates and 26 House of Assembly candidates.

The stakeholders argued that the alleged exclusion of other party tendencies weakened grassroots mobilisation and alienated influential figures and communities across Osun’s three senatorial districts.

“We believe this pattern of exclusion left the party’s base disengaged and cost us the support of critical stakeholders and communities across the state’s three senatorial districts, contributing directly to our defeat on August 15,” the group stated.

The forum, however, praised Tinubu for what it described as his support and commitment to the APC before and during the election.

The group said the President’s support could not compensate for what it described as internal weaknesses in the state chapter.

It consequently asked Tinubu to order an independent review of the Osun APC leadership structure and the process through which candidates are selected.

The stakeholders also called for a reconciliation meeting involving Oyetola, party elders and aggrieved members, with the APC National Working Committee providing oversight.

They further requested a review of the distribution of federal appointments in Osun and the establishment of a fact-finding committee to examine the party’s primaries and complaints previously raised by party elders.

The dispute comes against a backdrop of longstanding political rivalry within Osun, where Oyetola served as governor from 2018 to 2022 before losing his re-election bid to Adeleke.

Oyetola subsequently became Minister of Marine and Blue Economy under Tinubu and remained one of the most influential APC figures in Osun politics.

During the 2026 election campaign, APC candidate Oyebamiji presented himself as a candidate capable of bringing a new direction to the state.

He argued before the election that Osun had been “shortchanged” and promised what he described as swift transformation if elected.

The APC campaign also mounted strong attacks against Adeleke, while the governor accused Oyetola and other opposition figures of attempting to undermine his administration.

The claims were disputed politically, reflecting the intense contest that preceded the poll.

The latest letter therefore opens a fresh chapter in the APC’s post-election reckoning.

Rather than focusing solely on the outcome at the ballot box, the stakeholders are urging the party’s national leadership to examine the internal decisions and relationships that shaped its campaign.

Their intervention also places pressure on the APC to address questions of inclusiveness and internal democracy before the next electoral cycle.

The allegations against Oyetola remain those of the Osun APC Stakeholders Forum, and the former governor’s response to the specific claims was not included in the reports reviewed.

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For a party seeking to rebuild after a significant defeat, however, the letter presents a stark warning that unresolved internal grievances could prove as consequential as the opposition’s campaign at the polls.