Moses Ofodeme
The Spokesperson, Imole Campaign Council (TICC), Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq, said that from every assessment of democratic norms the APC in Osun has failed the basic tests
According to Olajengbesi, As Nigeria celebrates Democracy Day, we must remember, the true test of democracy goes beyond voting. The real test is respect for the will of the people, acceptance of electoral outcomes, tolerance of opposing views, and commitment to peaceful political engagement. Unfortunately, the Osun APC has repeatedly failed this basic test.
Since its defeat in the 2022 governorship election, the party has refused to accept the outcome. Instead, it has struggled to set up a parallel administration to undermine the mandate the people gave the winner. The party has refused to admit that power belongs to the people, not to any political elite. Rather than rebuilding trust and reconnecting with the electorate, it has remained trapped in a cycle of bitterness, desperation, and hostility toward democratic competition.
The wave of resignations and defections hitting Osun APC is more than party drama. It’s a referendum. Across the state, members, leaders, and grassroots supporters are walking away because they’ve lost faith in the party’s direction, leadership, and future. A party that can’t keep its own people cannot convince voters it deserves another chance to govern.
What is even more concerning is the persistent culture of political intimidation, threats, and inflammatory rhetoric associated with some actors in the Osun APC. Democracy is built on persuasion, ideas, and service to the people. It cannot thrive where fear, violence, and tension are used as political tools. The party has no good record, hence the enabling of violence to threaten the people into submission.
On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a 15-vehicle convoy branded with “AMBO” reportedly carried out coordinated attacks in Osogbo. Witnesses said the convoy moved through Akoda, Owode, Olaiya, Old Garage, and Oke-Fia, firing shots sporadically. At least three people were seriously injured, among them a commercial bus driver and an elderly man.
Recall that APC supporters and political thugs led by Asiri Eniba also vandalized political billboards in Irewole, Ayedaade, Irepodun, Osogbo, and other areas.
Earlier, on June 3, 2026, Hon. Asimiyu Ajibola, Chairman of the Accord Party in Osogbo LGA, was reportedly shot multiple times by armed assailants linked to the APC. He remains hospitalized.
Several Accord Party members have been injured and killed by alleged APC political thugs, reportedly for wearing caps and vests that identify them with the party.
Barely two hours to Democracy Day, an APC-affiliated thug identified as Busuyi, along with others, allegedly attacked an Accord Party member in Iroye community, Ilesa. The assailants used cutlasses, sticks, an axe, and a gun, leaving the victim badly injured.
The painful memories of political violence and the loss of innocent lives in Osun State should serve as a lesson to all political actors that elections must never be treated as warfare. Politics should be about service to the people and not a contest of intimidation.
On a day set aside to celebrate democracy, the Osun APC must reflect deeply on its conduct and its continued inability to accept political realities. Democracy requires humility. It requires political actors to understand that no office belongs to anyone forever and that the people reserve the right to renew or withdraw their mandate.
Governor Ademola Adeleke emerged through the democratic process and remains accountable to the people through the same democratic process. If the Osun APC seeks a return to power, the pathway remains simple: present ideas, present a record, present a vision, and submit itself to the judgment of the electorate.
As we commemorate Democracy Day, we urge all political actors to reject violence, embrace political decency, respect democratic institutions, and allow the people of Osun State to freely determine their future. Our message to Osun APC is simple: Do not threaten people to submission.
In every democracy, the voice of the people remains supreme.