The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the Osun State governorship election.

The party said it believes Adeleke did not obtain the highest number of valid votes and has begun reviewing the electoral process before deciding on its next course of action.

Oluwole Oke, Director-General of the APC Osun State Governorship Campaign, disclosed this while speaking on Arise News.

APC challenges Adeleke’s victory

Oke said the APC was not satisfied with INEC’s declaration and would not accept the result without first examining the electoral records.

“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” he said.

He explained that the party had instructed its agents to submit copies of Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C to the APC secretariat for verification.

According to him, the party wants to obtain all relevant records before reaching a conclusion on the election outcome.

Party begins electoral audit

Oke said the APC would evaluate the election process, study the available documents and compare the conduct of the poll with the Electoral Act and other applicable laws.

He said the party would also investigate issues that occurred before and during the election.

“There are a lot of issues before us. There are a lot of issues for determination, even on a pre-election basis,” Oke said.

He added that the APC would not make further pronouncements until the review was completed and the party had formed an opinion based on its findings.

Oke speaks on alleged APC division

Responding to claims that the APC was divided internally, Oke said disagreements could occur within any political party.

He cited disputes within the Accord Party as an example, arguing that internal disagreements did not necessarily prevent members from working together during elections.

“If you are talking about internal divisions, even the Accord Party itself is divided,” he said.

Oke maintained that political parties generally resolve their differences or set them aside when it becomes necessary to work collectively toward electoral victory.

APC defends EFCC action

Oke also defended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) decision to freeze Osun State Government accounts shortly before the election.

He described the EFCC as a lawful government agency carrying out its duties and said he saw nothing wrong with the agency taking action if it had legitimate reasons.

“When you have a constitutional body, a lawful agency of government like the EFCC performing their lawful duty, I don’t see anything wrong in that,” he said.

However, he praised President Bola Tinubu for directing that the accounts be unfrozen.

Oke said the matter was separate from the APC’s position on the election and declined to offer further details because he said he was not fully informed about the circumstances surrounding the account freeze.

Oke dismisses ‘federal might’ claim

The APC campaign director also dismissed claims that the party’s control of the Federal Government gave it an unfair advantage during the Osun election.

He argued that political contests at the state level are influenced by local factors.

“When people allude to the fact that our party is the ruling party and talk about federal might, it doesn’t work like that. Politics is local,” he said.

Oke explained that the presence of APC governors and other party leaders in Osun was simply to show solidarity with the party’s candidate.

APC praises voter turnout

Oke described the voter turnout during the election as one of the notable features of the exercise.

He said the participation suggested that Nigerians were becoming more conscious of their civic responsibilities and the need to hold governments accountable.

“The takeaway from this exercise is the level of turnout. This election shows that Nigerian voters are more aware and conscious of their civic duty that they need to perform,” he said.

Campaign chief criticises Adeleke’s administration

Oke also questioned the performance of the Adeleke administration, particularly in education, healthcare and support for farmers.

He said these issues would form part of the broader assessment being carried out by the APC as it reviews the election and its outcome.

“When you look at this in totality, you can see the failures of government glaring in the citizens’ faces,” he said.

Oke urged Nigerians to allow the APC to complete its assessment before drawing conclusions about the party’s next move.

He said the party would make its findings public after reviewing the electoral documents, the conduct of the election and other relevant issues.