The Osun 2026 gubernatorial election is already gathering momentum in the opposition APC, making it imperative for active participants to reflect on the gains made since 2022. It is expedient to acknowledge that aspirants are beginning to show interest—either through their lieutenants or through direct moves they have been making since last year.
A significant number of these individuals have been engaging in arguments from different perspectives, often positioning themselves based on personal strength rather than collective party progress. However, what remains glaring is their failure to articulate how they have worked to galvanize support for the party in the last two years. Some of them have been parading imaginary numbers, but precedent has shown that such numbers have never translated into electoral victory—whether when they were on the ballot themselves or when they backed other candidates.
Beyond mere ambition, the governorship ticket is not a personal entitlement: it must be a product of broad-based acceptance, a decision embraced by responsible party stakeholders who can ensure the ticket is safeguarded and promoted. It is not meant for an individual whose own traditional ruler (Kabiyesi) and prominent figures in his hometown outrightly rejected his aspiration the moment he declared his interest. We all witnessed what the traditional ruler of Iragbiji did in 2018 and 2022, and we now see how the Akire of Ikire is actively working to ensure that, should the opportunity arise, the ticket is zoned to Ikire. That is what true political strategy and people-centric leadership look like—rallying behind a cause with unity and determination.
Political parties are designed to win elections, not to reward failure. No serious party will hand its governorship ticket to a sitting senator who lost his re-election bid to a political newcomer. Worse still, how can a principal officer of the Senate, who failed woefully as Director-General of a recent campaign, losing his own polling ward and failing to deliver not even a single one of the four local governments in his federal constituency, expect to be considered for such a crucial ticket? The party cannot afford such a costly gamble.
An aspirant who wants to benefit from the bloc votes from his domain, because of the population and numerical strength, must first of all argue on the strength of his personality. An aspirant perceived to be arrogant, too distant from the grassroots, will find it difficult to galvanize votes for his party even if he is chosen as the flag-bearer. Therefore, to harvest bountiful votes in the 2026 election, the party, APC, must present a candidate with a strong and appealing personality just as such a candidate advisedly should be native of a town with appreciable voting strength. While selecting a candidate from a specific locality can significantly influence voter engagement during both continuous voter registration and the main election, the former condition ( personality) should be prioritized because the latter (population) can be obtained with a candidate who possesses strong and appealing character. Personality plays a decisive role in any election. An appealing personality could galvanize votes across the state, even outside his place of birth. An appealing personality could encourage and motivate his people to support his political party irrespective of their political bias and affiliation. There is a preponderance of cases where strong Personality plays an impactive role in the election. A clear case in mind is that of Irewole Local Government where personalities of APC chieftains in the town have played significant roles in delivering election to the progressive party. In 2014, for instance, when the town had no indigene on the governorship ballot, Irewole delivered 18,328 votes for APC as against 10,330 earned by the PDP. This was at a time an Ikire ( Irewole ) indigene, Akogun Lere Oyewumi (now a senator), was Director General of the PDP governorship campaign. APC did not only sweep votes in virtually all the wards in the local government, it even defeated PDP in Akogun Oyewumi’s SS Peter and Paul Primary School polling unit 09 with more than 40 vote margin as APC secured 151 votes while PDP secured 108 votes. Strong Personalities of APC chieftains in Irewole led to that sweet victory.
Another instance of a strong personality influencing an election in their domain is that of Adegboyega Oyetola in Boripe and the Adelekes in Ede. It is interesting to note that a strong personality of Oyetola in Boripe turned the electoral fortune of the progressive party around in the area, with the party recording 21,205 votes in 2022 contrary to 12,723 votes recorded in 2014 when Oyetola was not the face of election in the area.
Similarly, the Adelekes impacted on the electoral fortune of the PDP in Ede, helping the party to poll 23,931 votes in Ede North as against 10,427 votes recorded by the party in 2014 when the family was in APC and helped APC secure 15,403 votes.
One should begin to question the personality of the character the APC appointed the Director General and face of its campaign in Osogbo in the 2022 gubernatorial election. One should ask why the APC votes in Osogbo plummeted from 39,983 in 2014 to 22,952 in 2022 when a son of the soil was the DG of APC campaign. Is that not an indication that the ancient town punished the All Progressives Congress because of the haughty Personality the party made to lead its campaign there? If capital project is the main determinant in an election, Osogbo should have been in the bag for APC given the massive infrastructure installed by the administration of Oyetola in the town in four years. Ajibola Famurewa, who led the APC campaign in 2018, even with his hubris and foibles, delivered his federal constituency for APC at the poll. So what can justify the loss of all the four LGs in Osogbo federal constituency in the 2022 election?
The argument that the APC should select its candidate basically on the numerical strength to counter votes from Ede, not minding the personality of the candidate, is puerile. It will hurt the chances of the party if this suggestion is implemented. Those who could not entice votes for the party with their personality, when they are the Senator and the DG of campaign, will equally fail the party when they are gifted the party governorship ticket on the basis of where they come. You do not build something on nothing and expect it to stand.
Again, the argument that Iwo or Ikire votes will be insufficient to swallow bloc votes from Ede may not be true after all as data has confirmed that Iwo Local Government Area has more population than Ede while Ikire has similar population figure to Ede. According to the 2006 census, Iwo has 191,348 people while Irewole has a population of 143,599, which is comparable to the combined populations of Ede North and Ede South LGAs, totaling approximately 159,307 people. Choosing a candidate with affable, appealing and strong personality from Iwo or Irewole, for example, could attract considerable support from local residents
The APC should choose a candidate with commendable personality and longstanding contributions to the community — a candidate whose track record and community service have endeared him to many. A candidate whose investments in local infrastructure and support for the careers and well-being of numerous indigenes have not gone unnoticed. Most importantly, the party should select a candidate who respects elders and does not insults old age at will. The party should not make a mistake of selecting a candidate who believes a 70-year-old leader, unifier and performing public servant should jettison his political ambition for him on account of age. The party should not fall into the trap of selecting an unmarketable personality driven by inordinate ambition. APC should not promote failure in 2026. A student who failed O’Level WAEC should be encouraged to repeat the O’Level exam, not promoted to attempt Cambridge A’Level.
