National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and member of its National Working Committee, Dayo Israel, has delivered assessment of the party’s performance in the weekend’s Osun State governorship election, saying the ruling party failed to connect with the electorate.
In a post on his official X handle, @dayoisrael, Israel said the APC underestimated Adeleke, who was often derisively described as the “Dancing Governor.”
In his post titled, “Osun has spoken: The bitter truth APC must hear before 2027,” Israel argued that Adeleke’s dancing, which was often mocked by political elites, became an asset that helped him build an emotional connection with the people.
He wrote: “For years, some members of the political elite have reduced Governor Adeleke to his dancing. That assessment has always underestimated both the man and the nature of Osun politics.
“Osun is deeply rooted in its communities, traditions, faith and local culture. Its politics cannot be understood solely through elite conversations, social media commentary or the calculations of Abuja.”
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Israel said Adeleke’s dancing was not a weakness but a political tool that made him accessible and helped him connect with ordinary voters.
“Governor Adeleke’s dancing was never a weakness. It was a political language. It humanised him, made him accessible, and created emotional proximity with ordinary voters. His singing, dancing, accessibility and public worship built a bond that many technocratic analyses failed to capture,” he said.
He added that politics was driven not only by policies but also by emotion, identity, presence and a sense of belonging.
“Politics is not only policy. It is emotion, identity, presence and belonging. Governor Adeleke stayed close to his grassroots while some opponents dismissed the very traits that strengthened his connection with the people.
“Our party must therefore stop confusing sophistication with electoral value. A candidate may dominate elite discourse and still fail to move a ward. Another may be mocked in elite spaces and still command overwhelming loyalty on the ground. Elections are not won by approval ratings in Abuja. They are won by understanding people as they are.”
The APC National Youth Leader also expressed concerns about the performance and capacity of the expanded national campaign council led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
He criticised the composition of the campaign council, noting that it was dominated by governors, senators and former office holders.
“These leaders are important, but we must ask a hard question: how many young Nigerians do they genuinely inspire, mobilise or emotionally connect with?” he queried.
Israel also criticised the National Working Committee for failing to formally review the campaign’s progress since the inauguration of the council.
“It is also important to state a difficult but necessary truth: since the inauguration of the campaign council, the National Working Committee did not meet to formally review progress, assess strategy or recalibrate direction.
“In any serious political organisation, that absence of structured oversight is not a minor administrative gap. It is a strategic weakness,” he said.
On the party’s internal crisis in Osun, Israel said there had been no genuine effort to reconcile aggrieved aspirants with the APC candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, who emerged through a consensus arrangement.
He described internal division as one of the party’s major challenges.
“The deeper challenge remains internal division. No amount of campaign technology can compensate for a fractured political family. We cannot continue with a ‘to your tents, O Israel’ approach and expect victory. Politics is addition. Sometimes it requires humility, accommodation and strategic reconciliation,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Israel called on APC leaders to prioritise reconciliation and review the party’s strategies for connecting with eligible voters.
“We must rebuild respect for party institutions. We must reconcile our internal divisions. We must replace ceremonial structures with working organisations. And we must stop mistaking elite presence for grassroots mobilisation.
“President Tinubu gave us a democratic contest. Governor Adeleke understood his people. Davido understood his generation.
“The question is whether the APC understands its own lesson.
“This is not a call for blame. It is a call for renewal. Silence will not win 2027.
“Osun has spoken. The APC must now listen.”