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There is disquiet within the rank and file of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State over calls that the party’s candidate in the 2026 gubernatorial election should come from the West Senatorial District of the state.
Osun Defender reports that there have been demands from different quarters for the party to zone its governorship ticket to Osun West.
Sources within the party told Osun Defender that the agitation for a West ticket was because of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, whom many observers see as the preferred candidate of the Minister of Blue and Marine Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola.
However, the sources noted that the move may further deepen the crisis within the party with other party members from other Senatorial Districts who are interested in the ticket.
One of the sources said Oyetola, who was defeated by the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, during the last election, has been prevailed on to shelve his ambition of re-contesting.
The source who craved anonymity told Osun Defender that some party leaders had already told the former governor that his chances against Adeleke are slim because he was defeated as an incumbent in 2022.
The source, however, said the growing agitation for the West ticket was already generating tension in the party.
He added that the interest of the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who is from Osun Central, to contest the party’s ticket has created division within the party, resulting in alignment and realignment in Osun APC.
“All this West Agenda is because of Bola Oyebamiji. The Minister is backing him as his preferred candidate if he will not contest, but this is already generating a lot of heat within the party.
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“The National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, is also rumoured to be interested in contesting, and he is qualified. So, bringing out a West agenda now seems like a plot against him. Basiru is from the state capital, and no Governor in the democratic history of Osun has come from Osogbo.
“There is a crisis already in the party with this development. Many people are standing behind who they prefer to be the party’s flagbearer. It is a test of loyalty for many people, and that is why many members of the party are afraid to pitch their tent. However, the consensus is that many members of Osun APC are waiting for who the Minister will support. Whoever Oyetola decides to stay with is what most members are waiting for to decide their loyalty,” the source noted.
Meanwhile, the forum of ex-lawmakers, Osun State House of Assembly (OSHA), under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the leadership of the party to zone the guber ticket for 2026 to Osun West Senatorial District.
In a communiqué signed by the forum’s secretary, Ajibola Akinloye, alongside 14 other members, the lawmakers argued that Osun West had been marginalised, having never produced a governorship candidate for the party since 1999.
The group emphasised their commitment to equity, justice, and fairness, expressing full support for the APC leader in the state, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
The forum, however, noted that their request remains subject to Oyetola’s decision, acknowledging his right of first refusal to the ticket.
The statement added: “We earnestly ask for the governorship ticket to be zoned to West Senatorial District which has never got the ticket in the Progressive Party since 1999, unlike the two other Senatorial Districts.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
