Untold Story of How APC Lost Osun
….The Labour Factor Behind Adeleke’s Re-election
By Olumide Bajulaiye
How memories of unpaid salaries, half-payments and alleged marginalisation of local government workers shaped the 2026 governorship election
The outcome of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election has continued to generate political debate, with the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke providing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with another victory in the state.
Beyond the campaign rallies, party structures and political calculations, however, one factor that deserves closer attention is the role of workers, particularly local government employees, in shaping the electorate’s decision.
A campaign message circulated among Osun local government workers in the days preceding the election framed the contest as more than a conventional political battle. It presented the election as a referendum on salaries, promotions, pensions, job security and the treatment of local government employees under successive administrations.
The message urged workers to remember what it described as difficult periods under the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Action Congress (AC) and All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations, while contrasting those experiences with what it portrayed as improvements under Adeleke since 2022.
The Aregbesola Factor
One of the strongest arguments advanced by critics of the APC was the legacy of the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The campaign narrative alleged that the Aregbesola years were marked by delayed promotions, periods of half salary and disputes over the status and deployment of local government officials.
It specifically recalled the controversy surrounding the deployment of directors and deputy directors on Grade Levels 15 and 16 in 2016.
According to the account circulated by local government workers, hundreds of officials were summoned to the Local Government Service Commission and subsequently posted to what some of them regarded as unclear or non-existent positions. The development, the workers claimed, left many senior officials professionally frustrated until subsequent administrative changes.
Whether every aspect of the account is viewed from the perspective of politics or administrative policy, its significance in the 2026 election was clear: the memory remained politically potent among sections of the workforce.
For the APC, the challenge was that the party had to defend its current candidate against the weight of decisions associated with previous administrations.
The Burden of the Half-Salary Era
Another issue repeatedly invoked in the campaign was the period when workers received partial salaries.
For many families, salary delays or shortfalls are not abstract political issues. They directly affect school fees, rent, food, healthcare and household responsibilities.
The campaign message argued that the memory of half salaries remained fresh among workers and that the APC had not sufficiently addressed those concerns before asking the electorate for another mandate.
It also alleged that promotions granted during a subsequent period were sometimes not accompanied by corresponding financial benefits.
These claims became part of a broader political argument: that the APC’s record on labour had created a trust deficit that its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, struggled to overcome.
Adeleke’s Counter-Narrative
Governor Adeleke’s campaign successfully presented his administration as a departure from the past.
His supporters pointed to the payment of salary and pension arrears and the regular payment of workers as evidence of a different approach to labour relations.
The local government workers’ message also credited Adeleke with using state resources to support workers during the period of disputes surrounding local government allocations.
The narrative was particularly powerful because it transformed the election from a contest between two candidates into a choice between two perceived administrative experiences.
For workers who believed that Adeleke had protected their income and dignity, voting for him became a form of self-preservation.
The Local Government Allocation Controversy
Another major issue raised in the campaign was the prolonged dispute over local government finances.
The workers’ message alleged that local government allocations were diverted or paid into accounts controlled by what it described as “Yes or No Chairmen,” resulting in months of financial hardship for local government employees and other workers.
These are serious allegations and require independent verification before being treated as established fact.
Politically, however, the allegations were damaging to the APC because they were woven into an existing narrative about workers’ financial insecurity.
The campaign warned employees that a return of the APC could lead to a recurrence of the difficulties they associated with the party’s previous administrations.
Why Oyebamiji Faced an Uphill Battle
Oyebamiji entered the election with the advantage of the APC’s national political structure and the support of a major political organisation.
But the challenge was not simply about party strength.
He also had to overcome the argument that the APC represented a return to policies and practices that many workers remembered negatively.
This created a difficult situation for the APC candidate. Instead of campaigning solely on his own plans and personality, he was forced to operate in the shadow of the party’s historical record in Osun.
That, according to the political narrative promoted by Adeleke’s supporters, became one of the major reasons the APC struggled to persuade enough voters to change direction.
Labour Became an Electoral Force
The election demonstrated that organised labour and public-sector workers can become decisive political constituencies when their economic interests are directly connected to the ballot.
The campaign message did not merely ask workers to support Adeleke. It encouraged them to mobilise their families, neighbours and communities.
That strategy broadened the political argument beyond government employees.
The message effectively turned workers into campaign messengers, asking them to share their experiences with other voters and convince them that the election was about protecting livelihoods.
The Lesson for APC Ahead of 2027
The Osun result should therefore serve as a warning to the APC’s national leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party cannot rely solely on incumbency, political structures, national popularity or campaign machinery.
It must also examine how its policies are remembered at the grassroots.
If workers, pensioners, civil servants and other vulnerable groups associate the party with delayed salaries, half-payments, abandoned benefits or insecurity over their jobs, such perceptions can become powerful electoral weapons in the hands of opponents.
The APC would need to conduct an honest assessment of its performance in Osun, listen to workers and rebuild trust rather than dismissing the grievances as ordinary campaign rhetoric.
A Political Verdict Beyond Party Lines
Adeleke’s re-election was not necessarily the product of one issue alone. Elections are usually determined by a combination of factors, including candidate popularity, party organisation, political alliances, campaign strategy, economic conditions and voter sentiment.
However, the experience of Osun local government workers provides an important window into why the APC’s campaign faced resistance.
For many workers, the election was framed as a choice between the memory of past hardship and the promise of continued stability.
That message appears to have resonated.
The broader lesson is simple: voters remember how government policies affect their everyday lives.
For the APC, the Osun defeat should not merely be viewed as an electoral setback. It should be treated as an opportunity to examine what went wrong, rebuild confidence among workers and address grassroots concerns before the 2027 elections.
Because when livelihoods become the central issue on the ballot, party slogans alone may not be enough to win the voters’ trust.
