- Odibo Victory
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, has advised the opposition parties to roll up their sleeves and get to work ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
“The best advice to the opposition is therefore simple: wake up, roll up your sleeves and get to work,” he said.
Oladejo, a former APC Spokesperson, also cautioned the opposition against interpreting the outcome of the Osun governorship election as a pointer to victory in 2027.
He said the outcome of the election should not be misconstrued as a dress rehearsal for the 2027 presidential election.
He made this remark in a statement titled, “Osun Election: No Dress Rehearsal for the Opposition’s 2027 Dreams,” made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
According to him, the elections were won constituency by constituency, state by state and candidate by candidate, adding that the circumstances surrounding a governorship election could not be transferred wholesale to a presidential contest.
“Osun is Osun. Nigeria is Nigeria. The circumstances, candidates, issues, alliances and voter calculations in a gubernatorial election cannot simply be photocopied and presented as a template for a presidential election.
“The opposition would therefore do well to celebrate its victory without prematurely converting it into a prophecy.
“There is nothing wrong with political optimism. Indeed, every political party needs optimism, confidence and the conviction that victory is possible.
“What is dangerous is allowing optimism to mutate into entitlement,” he said.
Oladejo said neither the ruling party nor the opposition should assume electoral invincibility or inevitability, noting that democracy remained competitive.
“The APC must never take victory for granted, just as the opposition must not take advantage of an electoral victory in one state to assume that Nigerians have already made a national decision.
“The Osun election should instead be treated as a reminder that democracy remains competitive and that voters retain the ultimate power to surprise political establishments.
“That lesson should be welcomed by everyone,” he said.
According to Oladejo, the Osun result should remind the APC that incumbency alone could not guarantee victory, while the opposition should respond with humility rather than triumphalism.
“For the APC, it is a reminder that incumbency is not a substitute for performance, grassroots engagement, credible candidates, internal cohesion and effective communication.
“Every election must be fought as though nothing has been won. Every voter must be respected.
“Every constituency must be engaged. Every legitimate concern must be addressed.
“But for the opposition, the same result should inspire humility rather than triumphalism,” he said.
He said a governorship election was fundamentally different from a presidential contest because of differences in personalities, local issues, political structures and alliances.
“A presidential election introduces a vastly broader national conversation involving the economy, security, infrastructure, foreign relations, national leadership, federal institutions and the competing visions of presidential candidates.
“Consequently, extrapolating directly from Osun to Abuja is politically convenient but analytically weak,” he said.
The APC chieftain also questioned the electoral strength of the opposition coalition, saying coalition politics was easier to announce than to sustain.
He cited the performance of some opposition parties in the Osun election as evidence that the opposition still had significant work to do before 2027.
“The ADC, which has positioned itself as a major platform in the emerging opposition coalition, could only muster 17,180 votes in Osun.
“Even more tellingly, the NDC did not field a candidate at all in the governorship election.
“One cannot but wonder where the much-advertised opposition momentum and electoral strength lie as we count down to 2027,” he said.
Oladejo said Nigerian voters were becoming increasingly sophisticated and would demand clear policy alternatives from all presidential contenders.
“Nigerian voters are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They will not merely ask, ‘Who is against the APC?’ They will ask, ‘Who is for Nigeria?’
“They will demand to know the economic programme, security strategy, federalism policy, youth agenda, infrastructure plan and governance philosophy of whoever seeks their votes.
“Opposition parties therefore have a great deal of work to do beyond celebrating Osun,” he said.
He urged opposition parties to build credible structures, present compelling candidates and convince Nigerians that they had a coherent alternative to the APC.
“Earn the trust of the electorate. Build credible structures. Present compelling candidates.
” Offer Nigerians a coherent alternative and convince them that the opposition has something substantially better to offer.
“Otherwise, what looks today like a dream of 2027 victory could very easily become a nightmare on election night,” he said.
Oladejo, however, cautioned the APC against complacency, urging the Federal Government to communicate its policies more effectively and deliver tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
He said the argument for continuity in 2027 should be anchored increasingly on what Nigerians could see, feel and experience.
“The Tinubu administration has inherited a difficult national environment, and the argument for continuity in 2027 cannot rest solely on what the government says it is doing.
“It must increasingly be anchored on what Nigerians can see, feel and experience. That is where the real political contest will be,” he said.
The ex-spokesperson said political fortunes could change before 2027 as economic conditions, alliances, candidates and policies evolved.
He said the greatest mistake any political party could make was to confuse political momentum with electoral destiny.
“The Osun result has demonstrated that the ballot box remains powerful. It has reminded the ruling party that no electoral victory is permanent and that political dominance must continually be earned.
“It has equally reminded the opposition that victory is possible,but possibility is not inevitability,” Oladejo said.
He said the 2027 election would ultimately be decided by Nigerians and not by political commentators, social media projections, opinion polls or the excitement generated by a single governorship victory.
“For the APC, the message should be clear: no complacency, no entitlement and no taking voters for granted.”