A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olufunsho Akinrinade has predicted that the party will lose the August 8, 2026 governorship election if a candidate is imposed.
According to Akinrinade, if after the primary, all aspirants are not satisfied with the selection process, it will have a negative effect on the outcome of our 2026 election.
He stated this in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune recently.
“Well, if they insist on consensus, it depends on the form it takes. Consensus is built, not imposed. However, consensus is a recognised and legal way of conducting primaries. Those signifying interest now do not become aspirants until they buy the party forms, and after that, every single one must voluntarily agree to withdraw from the race in writing.
“That is why the imposition of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the presidential candidate of APC failed in 2023 — that and other factors. So I think it might be late for outright consensus. If all the aspirants are not satisfied with the selection process, it will have a negative effect on the outcome of our 2026 election,” he stated.
Commenting on whether the APC candidate for the election will be solely imposed by former governor Adegboyega Oyetola through consensus, Akinriande said, “Yes. Well, he is the leader of the party and our representative in the Federal Executive Council (FEC), so his political capacity is not in doubt, and he might succeed in imposing his candidate, Oyebamiji.
“But I know for a fact that he did not carry all critical stakeholders along when making this decision. So, if he succeeds, it will cause unnecessary discontent which will lead to all manner of intrigues that would be detrimental to the outcome. State actors are relying on him for patronage and federal appointments, so they are not telling him the truth. But honest and dedicated party members are complaining quietly.
“I don’t necessarily blame them; it is not always easy to speak truth to power, especially when you feel that your destiny is in their hands. What I am saying without mincing words is that it is difficult enough for an incumbent governor to impose a replacement, but it might be morally unacceptable for an incumbent who failed at re-election to impose one.”
Yusuf Oketola
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