Political Bigwigs Do Not Guarantee Electoral Victory – Aregbesola Tells What Does

Rauf Aregbesola, National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former governor of Osun State, has said Nigeria’s elections can no longer be dictated by governors or political heavyweights, insisting that only the will of the people determines electoral victory.

Aregbesola spoke in Abuja at the public presentation of The Loyalist, the memoir of Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s national publicity secretary.

Addressing party leaders, civil society figures and political stakeholders, he used the occasion to caution the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against equating political control with popular support.

“Elections must be free and fair because it is the people, not political power brokers, who should decide who wins,” he said.

Drawing lessons from the 2023 general election, Aregbesola argued that the results had punctured the long-held belief that governors and entrenched political actors can automatically deliver votes.

“The 2023 elections taught us an important lesson: governors and other political bigwigs do not guarantee electoral victory,” the former Minister for interior stated.

And, cited the presidential election as a striking example.

Although the APC’s candidate emerged winner nationally, Aregbesola noted that the same candidate lost his ward, his local government area and his home state — evidence, he said, that political dominance does not always translate into electoral acceptance.

“That alone tells us that controlling a state does not automatically translate into votes,” he asserted.

The former interior minister also referenced voting patterns across the country to reinforce his argument. In the South-West, where the APC controlled all but one state at the time, he said the party could not exceed about 55 percent of the total votes, with opposition parties sharing the rest.

The South-East, he added, was even more revealing, as the APC secured only 5.8 percent of the votes.

He insisted that the figures underscored a deeper shift in Nigeria’s politics — one in which voters are increasingly asserting independence from elite influence.

“The message is clear: elections are won by the people, not by governors,” the former ally of President Bola Tinubu stressed.

Emphasising that the demand being made by opposition parties and democratic advocates was straightforward, the popular politician declared “All we are asking of those in charge of the process is simple — commit to a free and fair election, and let the people’s choice speak for itself.”

Aregbesola’s remarks come against the backdrop of his evolving political journey.

Once a central figure within the APC and a close ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he has since parted ways with the ruling party following prolonged political disagreements.

His emergence as national secretary of the ADC has positioned him as a prominent voice within the opposition, often articulating a critique of power-driven politics and electoral manipulation.