*OSUN HAS SPOKEN: THE BITTER TRUTH APC MUST HEAR BEFORE 2027* By Dr. Dayo Israel _National Youth Leader, All Progressives Congress_ The Osun governorship election has been won and lost. Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has been declared re elected with 511,067 votes, defeating our candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who received 444,815 votes. That margin is substantial enough to demand honest reflection, not excuses, blame shifting or the familiar ritual of assembling another committee whose report may never change how we campaign. As painful as the outcome is for members of our party, particularly those who invested their time, resources and emotions in the campaign, democracy requires that we respect the decision of the electorate. I congratulate Governor Adeleke and the people of Osun State. I also commend our candidate, our members, agents and volunteers who worked for the APC under difficult circumstances. But congratulations must not become a substitute for introspection. There are bitter truths our party must confront before the 2027 general election. In my considered view, three personalities emerged as the defining figures of this election. The first is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. President Tinubu deserves commendation for allowing the people of Osun to make their choice without turning the enormous powers of the Presidency into partisan weapons. A President determined to capture Osun at all costs had many levers available to him. State institutions could have been weaponised, security forces could have overwhelmed the atmosphere, and federal might could have been deployed in a manner that distorted the contest. That did not happen. This restraint is consistent with the President’s conduct in other off cycle elections under his administration, including Anambra and Bayelsa, where opposition parties retained power. President Tinubu has demonstrated that his commitment to democracy is not limited to elections that favour the APC. That is statesmanship, and it should be acknowledged even when the result is painful for our party. President Tinubu may have lost Osun for the APC, but he won something larger for Nigeria: another opportunity to demonstrate that the vote of the Nigerian people must matter. The second defining figure is Governor Ademola Adeleke. For years, some members of the political elite have reduced Governor Adeleke to his dancing. That assessment has always underestimated both the man and the nature of Osun politics. Osun is deeply rooted in its communities, traditions, faith and local culture. Its politics cannot be understood solely through elite conversations, social media commentary or the calculations of Abuja. Governor Adeleke’s dancing was never a weakness. It was a political language. It humanised him, made him accessible, and created emotional proximity with ordinary voters. His singing, dancing, accessibility and public worship built a bond that many technocratic analyses failed to capture. Chief Bisi Akande and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola also understood, in their own ways, the power of cultural identification. Aregbesola sang, spoke the language of the streets and built a political identity that resonated deeply with his base. Governor Nyesom Wike, in a different context, has also shown how performance, presence and cultural familiarity can become instruments of political communication. Politics is not only policy. It is emotion, identity, presence and belonging. Governor Adeleke stayed close to his grassroots while some opponents dismissed the very traits that strengthened his connection with the people. Our party must therefore stop confusing sophistication with electoral value. A candidate may dominate elite discourse and still fail to move a ward. Another may be mocked in elite spaces and still command overwhelming loyalty on the ground. Elections are not won by approval ratings in Abuja. They are won by understanding people as they are.