2026: Osogbo APC Members Eye Gov’ship Ticket

• Say APC Needs To Neutralise Ede Votes

• Oyetola Will Jeopardise Our Chances – Group

There is a growing resentment against the plan of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola to retain the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

The majority of the APC members who have been expressing their views at a series of political discussions in the state maintained that Oyetola is not popular and does not have the political strength to mobilise the needed number of the electorate to win any election in the state.

This is just as some indigenes of Osogbo who are members of the APC have expressed their sentiments on the ticket, stating that the party should consider the state capital to produce its flagbearer in 2026.

The Osogbo indigenes called on the APC to bargain with the voting strength of Osogbo, noting that the APC should consider a city that can neutralise the amount of votes that would be turned out for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second term.

Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that this is the second time the Osogbo APC stakeholders would move against Oyetola’s interest.

The medium noted that some of the Osogbo APC stakeholders had in 2023 written President Bola Tinubu, asking him to consider the state capital for ministerial appointment, not minding that Oyetola had already considered himself as a ministerial nominee.

It was gathered that the letter leaked to Oyetola who called some of the signatories to inform them of his awareness and displeasure on it.

However, the medium could not confirm if those who wrote President Tinubu in 2023 are the brains behind the calls for Osogbo to produce the governorship candidate of the APC in 2026.      

Findings revealed that the objection to Oyetola’s return is already gathering momentum as some former state lawmakers, local government chairmen and other stakeholders of the party have been canvassing for a ‘better candidate’ in replacement of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

Some former council chairmen during Oyetola’s administration had disagreed over his adoption as the sole candidate of the party for the next election.

It would also be recalled that Otoge, a new group within the Oyetola’s caucus of IleriOluwa, has reportedly written President Bola Tinubu, asking the President not to force Oyetola on the Osun APC.

The group, in its meeting held in Osogbo, on Wednesday, January 3, recommended the National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru and the Executive Director of Marine and Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Lekan Badmus as replacements to Oyetola.

Both Basiru and Badmus are from Osogbo, which has not produced a governor since the inception of the state over three decades ago.

The Otoge members contended Oyetola’s ambition will further jeopardise the interest of the party, adding that Osogbo, deserves to produce the next governor under APC.

But Badmus dissociated himself from the Otoge group, maintaining that he remained loyal to Oyetola and committed to the progress and development of the APC.

One of the arrowheads of the group, who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER under the condition of anonymity, dissociated the group from Omoluabi, a political movement established by the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

However, OSUN DEFENDER authoritatively gathered that Oyetola’s ambition for 2026 is just a political gimmick to ensure that no member of the APC contested the ticket for him to be able to hand it over to his favourite, Alh. Bola Oyebamiji, the Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

Oyebamiji is from Ikire, Irewole local government of Osun West Senatorial District.

Sources among Oyetola’s aides confided in the medium that Oyetola would not contest the 2026 governorship election, explaining that his reported ambition is a political move to favour Oyebamiji, his loyalist.

According to the sources; “Oga (Oyetola) is not going to contest in 2026. He acknowledged the fact that age is not on his side again. He is 69 now and will be 71 years by 2026. What he plans is that he would mobilise the party’s structure for his purported ambition in 2026 and later withdraw for his political son, Oyebamiji.

“He knows if he doesn’t show interest now, some members of the party will come up to declare their ambitions and that will further cause a crisis in the party. But with his ambition, except one or two persons, nobody is likely to contest the ticket with him.”

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that some of the Oyetola loyalists have begun a campaign of calumny against Basiru, the APC National Secretary, on his purported governorship ambition.

Basiru, has been forced to maintain a low profile and has reportedly instructed his followers not to engage in any social media encounter with anybody.