Testing APC’s Infamy: The Osun Verdict And 2027 -By Clement Uwayah

August 16th, 2026 will remain a historic date in Nigeria’s political calendar. Osun went to the polls, and the verdict was loud. It was not just about who governs from Oke-Fia. It was a referendum on the APC, even though the party was not the incumbent in the state. The governor ran and won under Accord Party. Yet APC, as the opposition, still lost. That loss is bigger than Osun because in all honesty, it is a test result for 2027.

Infamy is when a party becomes more famous for its failures than its achievements. It is when “change” becomes a curse word. It is arrogance, disconnect, and a long list of unkept national promises. APC came into Osun with federal might, but it carried a national burden. Voters did not separate the federal brand from the state contest. They weighed and voted against the record.

Elections are memory tests, and Osun voters like every Nigerian have not forgotten. They remembered “hope” that turned to hopelessness. They remembered insecurity that made nights longer. They remembered fuel subsidy removal without corresponding relief. They remembered transport fares, failed roads, and a governance style distant from the people. They remembered that most of the suffering takes root from decisions made at the federal level. It was not that the incumbent was perfect, but that APC’s infamy was too heavy to sell.

The Osun contest was pitched as a showdown: federal power versus local mood. There were threats, intimidation, and the usual talk of “state capture.” But democracy worked as the people’s audit department, and the audit was damning. Not just of a candidate, but of a brand. Osun said: we are not buying this product again, not even at a discount.

Every election tests two things: what you have done, and what you represent. APC was tested on both and failed, even from opposition. Instead of contrition for national hardship, there was arrogance. Instead of alternative ideas, there was propaganda. Instead of trust-building, there was re-packaging. Voters saw through it. Infamy travels. Once a party is known nationally for failure, no new state wrapper can hide it. Unfortunately, the infamy rubs off on the many good people circumstances have forced to be or remain in the party.

This is the critical point. Osun gubernatorial election outcome was not about Accord. It was about 2027. Voters used Osun to rehearse for the coming general elections, and the message was clear: if we can reject you here where you are not even in power, we can reject you everywhere. Osun is a bellwether. What happens there rarely stays there. The Presidential election will be a national version of this same showdown. The question will be one: “What have you done with the power we gave you?” If the answer is infamy, the answer at the ballot will be rejection.

In the end, Osun chose to bury APC’s infamy rather than endorse it. That is how democracy should work. Power is borrowed, not owned. 2027 will be another borrowing season. Parties that mistake power for entitlement will learn what APC just learned: you cannot insult the people’s intelligence and expect their votes. Osun did not vote for perfection. Osun voted against infamy, and Nigeria is watching.

Clement Uwayah writes from Benin City, Edo State.