Osun defeat signals grassroots disconnect, Vatsa tells Tinubu

By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report

The outcome of the Osun State governorship election should serve as a wake-up call to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), according to a chieftain of the party in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa.
Vatsa, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, argued that the election had exposed the limits of relying on governors, ministers, lawmakers and other political heavyweights to deliver electoral victories.
Speaking with journalists in Minna on Monday, the APC chieftain said the presence of several governors and prominent party figures in Osun failed to translate into electoral success, suggesting that the ruling party’s established political machinery was losing its influence among ordinary voters.
“For the number of APC governors that gathered in Osun, and for them to come back empty-handed, it is an indication that they have lost the confidence of the people,” Vatsa said.
He urged President Tinubu to use the Osun outcome as an opportunity to reassess his political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly by establishing a stronger direct connection with Nigerians at the grassroots.
According to him, political structures and elite endorsements may no longer be sufficient to secure votes as Nigerians become increasingly focused on their personal economic circumstances and the impact of government policies on their everyday lives.
Vatsa identified food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity and the rising cost of living among the issues fuelling public dissatisfaction with government.
He particularly criticised the handling of increased government revenues following the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that Nigerians had yet to see corresponding improvements in their living conditions.
“The entire fuel subsidy money is being shared to the governors who are doing little or nothing with it, and unfortunately Nigerians are putting the blame of the current hardship on the doorstep of President Tinubu,” he said.
The APC chieftain maintained that voters were becoming less susceptible to the influence of political godfathers, big names and party structures.
“What the people want now is food on their table, jobs for their children, security in their communities, and visible impact from government in their daily lives,” he said.
Vatsa also pointed to internal disagreements within the APC as another potential threat to the party’s prospects in 2027. He warned that unresolved divisions could undermine the party’s electoral machinery even where the formal structure appears strong.
“There are so many oppositions within the party, and this will also play out in the general elections in 2027,” he stated.
He further cautioned the President against placing excessive confidence in political office holders whose influence among their constituents, he claimed, had diminished.
“Many of the elites he is relying on, including ministers, lawmakers and governors, are not working in his best interest,” Vatsa said.
For Vatsa, the significance of Osun goes beyond the immediate governorship contest. He described the result as an early warning that the 2027 election could be determined less by political structures and more by voters’ assessment of their economic and social realities.
He therefore urged Tinubu and the APC leadership to begin rebuilding their relationship with the electorate, arguing that the party must demonstrate tangible improvements in Nigerians’ lives if it hopes to secure another mandate in 2027.
“If, despite the full solidarity of the APC structure in Osun, the governorship result did not favour our party, then the message is crystal clear. It is time for Tinubu to reconnect with the grassroots before the 2027 contest,” he stressed.