Gladiators clash over governorship ticket in Osun

…Tinubu’s intervention cows Omisore, others

…As Adeleke’s movement to Accord raises questions

The political atmosphere in Osun State is charged at the moment because of scheming and moves by political gladiators to clinch their parties’ ticket for the August 8, 2026, off-cycle gubernatorial election.

In the last few weeks, politicians and political parties have been busy plotting their strategy to outwit their opponents.

Across the state, there is tension as politicians begin alignment and realignment to where their political interests would be best taken care of.

The battle for the gubernatorial ticket is intense. In the All Progressives Congress (APC), the contest has grown increasingly fierce, with several high-profile politicians jostling for the party’s nomination.

The screening exercise conducted by the party recently sparked controversy after a number of aspirants were disqualified for not meeting specified requirements. Only a few contenders were eventually cleared, heightening internal rivalry and prompting protests from some disqualified aspirants. The development forced President Bola Tinubu to wade in.

He held a series of meetings aimed at calming tensions and exploring the possibility of adopting a consensus candidate to avoid a divisive primary.

Read also: 2026 Osun Governorship: Adeleke’s re-election a walkover, no serious challenger in sight — Olajengbesi

Party officials say consultations are still ongoing among stakeholders despite the president’s interventions.

After the bitterness that emanated from the disqualification of aspirants by the APC Screening Committee, headed by Obinna Uzor, the party is doing all it can to make sure the issue does not affect its electoral chances by moving to mend fences.

The screening committee had barred Omisore and six other aspirants from contesting the governorship primary scheduled for December 13, citing alleged irregularities in their nomination forms.

At a meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, it was reported that all the aspirants stepped down from the race to give the ticket to Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, who is the immediate past Managing Director of the  National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA).

At the meeting, President Tinubu commended the aspirants for their longstanding contributions to the growth of the APC in Osun but urged them to set aside personal ambitions in favour of party stability and electoral victory.

He warned against factional rivalry and prolonged litigation that weakened the party’s base in the last election cycle.

“You all have a duty and obligation to the party by ensuring the APC wins the next election in Osun State. You must strengthen the bonds of unity, uphold party supremacy and embrace collective responsibility.

“I have absolute confidence in your ability to deliver victory. You have my support and that of the national leadership,” the President said.

The governorship aspirants resolved to work and support Oyebamiji as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2026 governorship election.

The list of aspirants includes a former deputy governor of the state, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi; Dotun Babayemi; Akin Ogunbiyi; Senator Babajide Omoworare; Kunle Adegoke (SAN); Babatunde Hareter Oralusi; and Mulikat Abiola Jimoh.

Read also: APC disqualifies Omisore, six others from Osun governorship race

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the immediate past national secretary of the APC, Iyiola Omisore, who is a leading aspirant vying for the party’s ticket, was not part of the meeting with President Tinubu last week in Abuja over the manner he was screened out of the party’s gubernatorial ticket.

Days before the meeting, Omisore had told journalists that he was not happy with the role played by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, for going against due process and allegedly imposing an aspirant on the state without proper consultation.

He stated his readiness to abide by the directive of the President on the condition that their disqualification is reversed and a new method devised to pick the consensus candidate.

The former senator further told APC to change its approach to the election in the state to have a chance of winning the poll.

He also questioned the committee’s claim that some aspirants lacked the required number of nominators, noting that the party leadership had full access to the membership register.

“I am the only one who has met them. But we have the same reservations. So far, so good. All of us will meet the appeal panel individually. But I asked them, What are the allegations, because we haven’t seen any?” Omisore said.

The Osun APC gubernatorial candidate would emerge on December 13th, but political watchers say the process could further polarise the party, which can have wide implications for its electoral success next year.

For a party whose popularity has waned drastically across Osun State in recent years, it was expected that the gubernatorial primary process would have been allowed to be rancour-free and be inclusive to all aspirants.

Although President Tinubu may have intervened to calm aggrieved aspirants, analysts say it was imperative that the President get the support of Omisore, considering his grassroots popularity and political clout.

Just like in 2018 when Omisore, then a candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) played the spoiler for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), analysts say the APC cannot afford to lose him if they want to stand any chance of defeating the incumbent Ademola Adeleke.

“You can say this is politics; someone would emerge at the end of the day, but Omisore is a force that they can’t do without if APC wants to win, considering his structure and popularity in Osun”. Kunle Okunade, a political analyst, said.

Okunade further stated that President Tinubu should do all he can to resolve the disagreement with Omisore over the choice of gubernatorial candidate for the party.

Read also: APGA’s Soludo wins Anambra governorship election

Due to the crisis that has plagued the PDP in the last two years, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in a bid to survive the logjam and take control of his political future, decided to dump the party for the Accord Party last week.

In an elaborate ceremony at the government house, the governor disclosed that he had secretly joined the party earlier, saying, “I joined the Accord Party more than a month ago, precisely on November 6, as a platform to seek re-election in 2026.

This was after weeks of consultation and deliberations with stakeholders and opinion leaders.

“Today, we unveil the new platform for the good people of Osun State. From Osun West to Osun East to Osun Central, this is our party, our new platform for victory come August next year,” he said.

Some days ago, Governor Adeleke secured the governorship ticket of the Accord Party unopposed, but his defection has unsettled opposition parties and reshaped early projections for the 2026 election.

Meanwhile, observers have raised concerns about the popularity of the Accord Party because the Governor only recently defected to the party from the PDP, and the party is grappling with significant internal leadership tussles and factionalism at the national level.

Many wonder if he would be able to build the party structure across Osun within the limited time. For some, it is an advantage to the APC and other parties to capitalise.

But other analysts said the platform Governor Adeleke chooses to contest may not matter, that the people would only vote for a candidate and not necessarily the party.

“You may blame Adeleke for joining the Accord Party, but if it is you what would you do? Look at the crisis in the PDP for three years now, who is going to sign his form?

“Governor Adcleke would win an election in any party, he is popular, the people vote for individual and not party. I can tell you that it would be a landslide,” a source close to the governor told BusinessDay.

The source further stated that the APC was only wasting their time, because the party was virtually not in existence in Osun State and their candidate could not defeat the incumbent.

Read also: Rumour that I came back to the APC to run for governorship in 2027 is not true – Dakum

The choice of governorship candidate has also created division within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, is the leader and national secretary.

Virtually new in Osun State, but the party leaders are making frantic efforts to build the structure of the ADC ahead of next year’s poll.

For now, the party is banking on the popularity of the former governor, whose ascension to the national secretary of the party gave it acceptability in Osun.

But the ADC is not without its own share of crises. Last week, the party lost one of its popular grassroots politicians and a close ally of Aregbesola, Moshood Adeoti, after the party adopted Najeem Salaam, a former speaker of the state Assembly, as its candidate.

Adeoti, who was secretary of the state government during Aregbesola’s administration, in a letter to the chairman, Omoluabi Progressives, cited family reasons for quitting the movement.

There are reports that he is close to joining the APC and would work for the APC candidate.

Observers say the disagreement between Adeoti and Aregbesola is a significant blow to the ADC and the party’s fortunes going into the election next year.

With years of experience in Nigerian journalism, Iniobong Iwok has built a reputation for deep political insight, compelling storytelling, and consistent, fact-driven reporting.

Over the years, he has gained extensive experience reporting and writing incisive political analysis. Iniobong has interviewed key political figures across Nigeria and covered major national events, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections.

A versatile journalist, he also has strong experience in education reporting and sector analysis. His work reflects a deep commitment to good governance and public accountability.

Iniobong holds a B.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Ilorin and an M.Sc. in Sociology (Development Specialisation) from Lagos State University.

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