2027: How Primary Elections May Affect Osun Gubernatorial Poll

• As Fallouts From Primaries Set To Make Or Mar Political Parties, Candidates

The primary election to nominate candidates for various elective offices for the 2027 general elections coming up before the August 15 gubernatorial election in Osun State may be a major determinant in the eventual winner of the poll, OSUN DEFENDER reports.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed April 23 – May 30, 2026, as the date for political parties to conduct primaries to nominate those who will be representing their parties for the various political offices at the general elections.

As aspirants across the country gear up for the date and intensify efforts to get the support of party leaders and members to flag the banner of their political parties, the situation is already causing tension in the camp of major political parties in Osun State.

Political gladiators believe the aftermath of the primary election might have a big impact on the August 15 poll as those who feel cheated or abandoned may work against the party or adopt a sit-down and look approach if they could not leave the party.

The situation is likely to affect the three major political parties – Accord (A), All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

However, political observers said the APC might be the worst hit among the parties, particularly with the defection of the six Federal lawmakers from the Peoples’ Democratic Party into the party as well as the absence of the party from government in the past three years.

OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that there was already an internal wrangling within the APC as some party chieftains who have an interest in contesting the 2027 elections, particularly, the National Assembly seats, are already having the feeling that their aspirations might not come to fruition.

It was also gathered that among the National Assembly lawmakers who defected to the APC in 2025 from the PDP, only two – Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) and Hon Wole Oke (Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency) are likely to get an automatic return ticket to the Senate and House of Representatives.

The situation, OSUN DEFENDER gathered, might create further division within the APC in Osun State as the former national secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was rumoured to be eyeing the Osun East senatorial ticket having been disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial primaries.

However, sources within the party told OSUN DEFENDER that the choice of Mr. Benjamin Adereti as the running mate to Mr Bola Oyebamiji was to prevent Omisore from getting the senatorial ticket, as both politicians are from Ile-Ife.

Also, the camp of the other decampees might not be in tandem with the possibility of not returning to the National Assembly.

Apart from the new members, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that there is likely to be an uproar at the camp of some party chieftains who are eyeing the Senatorial and House of Representatives tickets, as sources said there was already a plan as to who one of the leaders of the party is planning to give the tickets.

For Osun Central, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that one of the disqualified gubernatorial aspirants, Mr. Kunle Adegoke (SAN) is likely to get the senatorial ticket.

However, the development may not sit well within the camps of the former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Prince Adebayo Adeleke, who is also said to be interested in the seat. Adeleke is one of the foot soldiers of the APC in Osun State.

The situation is likely to be the same in the camp of the Renewed Hope Ambassador Coordinator for Osun State, Mr. Sunday Akere, who is also rumoured to be interested in the seat.

Meanwhile, for the Osun West Senatorial District, an Insurance guru, Mr Akin Ogunbiyi has claimed that he has been promised the ticket.

Ogunbiyi who hails from Ileogbo, headquarters of Ayedire Local Government and a former gubernatorial aspirant claimed that APC leaders have told him that he would be the consensus candidate of the party for the Senatorial District.

Giving Ogunbiyi the ticket as the consensus candidate might cause friction within the APC in Osun West as others are also eyeing the senatorial seat.

Among them is a former Corps Commander of Amotekun Corps in Osun State, Brigadier General Bashir Adewinmbi (retd.), who had already announced his intention to contest the senatorial seat under the APC.

Meanwhile, the situation is likely to play out for the House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats with rumours that some aspirants have already got the blessing of one of the leaders of the party.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a chieftain of the APC who does not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak, confirmed that some people had been promised tickets in the party.

“It is true. Some chieftains of the party have been promised the Senatorial and House of Representatives tickets and if we do not manage the situation very well, it might cause a problem for Mr Bola Oyebamiji at the August 15 poll.

“Oyebamiji has no major say on who gets the ticket but he would be the one to run from house to house to seek reconciliation after the primary if any issue arises. That is why those in charge of the party should be fair and not impose candidates on us,” the APC chieftain stated.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that the National Secretary of the APC, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, had also warned the leadership of the party in Osun State against handpicking candidates.

The former Senate spokesperson warned that handpicking candidates where there are many aspirants may not spell doom for the party’s chances in the elections, calling for free and fair primaries.

“Let standard bearers for the position of the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate emerge through free and fair primaries. We should have winners and runners-up emerging fairly. It’s in that light that we can hold the party together,” Basiru noted.

For the Accord Party, political observers believe that the situation might not be as tense as that of the APC as most of the federal and state lawmakers are expected to get automatic return tickets.

However, the party is also said to be confronted with problems arising from the selection of those who will get the tickets of the federal lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the incumbent governor Ademola Adeleke already has those he plans to give tickets of some of the decampee seats, a situation that other aspirants might not fully align with.

It was also learnt that giving some incumbent lawmakers tickets may cause division within the party as some party chieftains and members are already opposed to such a scenario.

One of such issues is the ongoing cold war among members of the party in Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency who are opposing the third-term bid of the lawmaker representing the constituency, Hon. Bamidele Salam.

Salam, who hails from Awo, Egbedore local government, is one of the core loyalists of Governor Adeleke and is set to clinch the party’s ticket again. However, there is already a strong opposition to his bid from Ejigbo local government as party members from the area claim it is their turn to produce the candidate of the party for the federal constituency.

“Hon. Salam has served two terms, which has never happened before in the federal constituency and he is now seeking a third term. We are not going to accept that.

“We have people who can contest and win elections in Ejigbo too and we are not going to sit down and allow what is ours to go to another place again. Salam should be honourable and step down for another person to contest,” Mr Adeolu Olabanji, a member of the Accord Party in Ejigbo told OSUN DEFENDER.

For the African Democratic Congress, the 2027 primary election may not cause ripples within the party as the ADC is new and would not have many gladiators eyeing political positions.

However, observers warned that the leadership of the party must guide against the imposition of candidates and allow members to choose those who will represent the party at the polls.

“I don’t see ADC having much issue because as we all know, it is a newly formed coalition party. However, the leadership of the party should ensure that they give the members the free hand to elect whoever will represent the party in the elections.

“This is very important as ADC might be the party that will benefit most from the fallout from the 2027 primary election in the APC and the Accord Party but they must ensure that their own house is in order too,” Mr. Taiwo Mogbonjubola, a political analyst, told OSUN DEFENDER.