FACT-CHECK: Viral Photo of APC Governors’ ‘Emergency Meeting’ Is From July, Not After Osun Poll

BY: Mustapha Lawal 

Claim: 

An image circulating on X shows APC governors holding an emergency meeting following the party’s defeat in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.

Verdict: Misleading.

Full Text:

Following the conclusion of the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election, an image has circulated on social media alongside claims that governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) convened an emergency meeting after the party lost the election.

The claim emerged after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, winner of the August 15 governorship election.

On August 16, some X users shared a photograph showing several APC governors seated around a table. One of the posts claimed that the governors had held an emergency meeting in Osun following the party’s defeat.

“After they failed to deliver in a free and fair election, the APC governors called an emergency meeting in Osun tonight,” the post said.

The user further questioned how the APC would fare in the 2027 general elections, arguing that the governors would struggle to retain their respective states while supporting President Bola Tinubu.

The post had attracted more than 2,600 views and several comments at the time of the check.

Given the timing of the post and its potential to create a false impression about the APC’s response to the Osun election outcome, FactCheckAfrica examined the image and the circumstances surrounding its alleged use.

Verification: 

FactCheckAfrica conducted a reverse-image search of the photograph using Google Lens to establish when and where it was originally published.

The search showed that the image predates the Osun governorship election and was not taken after the August 15 poll.

Reports published by Punch and other media organisations show that the photograph was taken during a meeting of first-term APC governors held in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, in July 2026.

The meeting was described as the Progressive First-Term Governors’ Meeting and was held behind closed doors at the Kebbi State Government House.

The meeting brought together several first-term governors elected on the APC platform, with discussions reportedly centred on national issues and matters concerning the ruling party.

The governors identified as attending included those from Kaduna, Plateau, Ekiti, Delta, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Edo, Ondo, Kogi, Sokoto and Benue states, among others.

The location, timing and participants associated with the original photograph therefore contradict the claim that it was taken during an emergency meeting of APC governors in Osun following the election.

The photograph was subsequently repurposed to give the impression that the governors had met in response to the APC’s performance in Osun.

What happened after the Osun election?

While there is evidence that the APC in Osun said they are  reviewing the outcome of the election, this does not establish that the governors shown in the viral photograph held an emergency meeting after the poll.

Following Adeleke’s victory, the Osun APC said it was reviewing the results across the state’s 332 wards and consulting its legal team before deciding on its next course of action.

The party’s position, however, does not authenticate the claim attached to the photograph.

Conclusion: 

The photograph circulating as evidence of an emergency meeting of APC governors after the party’s defeat in Osun was taken at a July 2026 meeting of first-term APC governors in Kebbi State, not after the Osun governorship election.

Although the APC said they are reviewing the Osun election results and considering its legal options, there is no evidence from the evidence examined that the viral photograph shows an emergency meeting convened by APC governors over the election outcome.