Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has blamed the defeat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Osun State governorship election on what he described as interference by “Abuja politicians”.

Sule spoke on Tuesday in Lafia while presenting Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acknowledgement slips to APC candidates contesting governorship and State House of Assembly seats in Nasarawa.

He said the APC would not have lost the Osun election if some politicians based in Abuja had not interfered.

“APC lost partly because of the Abuja politicians, you know, because if not for some of these Abuja politicians, there was no way for APC to lose in Osun,” he said.

The governor, however, said the election also demonstrated the strength of an incumbent governor.

He said those celebrating the APC’s defeat might not fully understand what the result means.

“So, for people who are celebrating, they don’t even understand what the hell they are celebrating. What they are celebrating is that the power of a sitting governor in Osun is what has stopped them from winning,” he said.

Sule also warned that Nasarawa has “one hell of a sitting governor”, apparently referring to himself.

Speaking about President Bola Tinubu, he said, “I’m not going to brag about anything that we are going to do, but what I can tell you is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done well.”

The governor urged APC candidates to avoid sycophancy, blackmail and activities that could weaken the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

“It is time, because politics actually involve, you know, a lot of sycophancy, blackmail, you know, underhand, and things like that. I’m begging you in the name of God, don’t get involved in that,” he said.

Sule also warned candidates against secretly supporting candidates from other parties while campaigning for the APC.

“When you are campaigning, campaign for APC. Don’t go with the drama that maybe I can actually campaign for myself and campaign for another candidate of another party, if you do that, you know, people will see. And the people that see, they are also going to make sure that they react to you in that manner,” he said.

“I don’t believe in this anti-party, I don’t believe in this realignment, I don’t believe in that. And I’m begging you also not to believe in the same,” he added.

He urged the candidates to “go out there and vote for the party that you believe in.”

The governor explained that the INEC acknowledgement slips confirm the candidates’ recognition by the electoral commission and allow them to check that their names are correctly spelt before ballot papers are produced.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday warned the opposition to dismiss the idea of defeating President Bola Tinubu in 2027, stressing that they should start crying ahead of the polls.

Wike said the opposition can decide to put their house in order after 2027 because they can’t defeat Tinubu in January.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, the minister said: “While the winning man will be scoring over 500,000 votes, the second person scored over 400,000; the third person will be scoring 17,000? A party of the former governor? Then when it gets to the national election, that is where the party will win?

“Try, they know that the only thing they can do now is to start crying, but if it’s to win the election, no, they can’t win.

“Maybe after now they can start planning and putting their house in order, but if it’s this 2027 election against Tinubu, no, forget it, it’s over.

“How you choose leaders is what attempts or steps are you making to solve problems, so don’t be talking about opposition; say depleted opposition, which I’m one of those that depleted them.”

The Imole Campaign Council, TICC, has commenced the final stage of documenting victims of election-related violence recorded before, during and immediately after the Osun State Governorship Election.

The council, in a statement issued in Osogbo on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, extended its sympathies to individuals and families affected by violence during the electoral period.

It said the affected persons included those who suffered loss of life, injuries, assaults, destruction of property, arrests and other forms of violence connected with the election.

Olajengbesi said the documentation exercise was being conducted across the state and urged members of the public who were yet to submit details of affected persons to do so before the deadline.

He stressed that the exercise was not restricted to supporters or members of the campaign council but was intended to cover victims irrespective of their political affiliation.

“This exercise is not party-based. It covers every victim, irrespective of political affiliation, party membership or voting preference,” Olajengbesi said.

According to him, “anyone who lost a loved one, sustained injuries or suffered property damage deserved sympathy, support, justice and appropriate compensation regardless of political persuasion.”

The council requested that reports submitted should contain the victim’s name, local government, ward and community, phone number or next-of-kin details, nature of the incident, date and location, and a brief account of what happened.

It also asked members of the public to provide available evidence, including photographs, videos, medical or police reports and witness details, as well as information on the victim’s current condition or status.

The council said the purpose of the documentation was to establish a credible basis for pursuing justice, accountability, support and appropriate compensation for victims and affected families.

“All outstanding reports and supporting evidence should be forwarded by text message or WhatsApp to +234 703 743 9142 on or before Friday, August 21, 2026. Osun comes first,” the statement added.