Osun 2026: Osogbo Leaders Close Ranks, Demand Governorship Slot

Community heads (Baales) in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, have thrown their weight behind the Osogbo Elders Council, insisting that the 2026 governorship ticket of the major political parties must be zoned to Osogbo.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Saturday, August 8, 2026, for the state governorship election.

Despite Osogbo’s historical role as a decisive voting bloc in Osun politics since its days as part of old Oyo State, no indigene of the Osogbo has ever been elected governor in the 34 years of the state’s existence.

Speaking on Oroki Asala, a current affairs programme on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) Radio, the Baale of Gbodofon and Chairman of the Council of Baales in Osogbo, High Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, emphasized that the town is now more united than ever on the demand to produce Governor.

He credited the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, for establishing the Osogbo Action Committee and the Osogbo Elders Council to end political divisions that had previously weakened the chances of Osogbo.

High Chief Ibrahim stressed that the efforts of the Ataoja have already yielded results, with Osogbo speaking in one voice ahead of 2026. “The Elders Council has successfully united all Baales in Osogbo. As Chairman of the Council of Baales, I affirm that we stand solidly behind them in this call for an Osogbo indigene to emerge as governor. We will play our part to make it happen,” he said.

Similarly, Prince Adeleke Oduola Ibiloye, Chairman of the Osogbo Elders Council, reiterated that Osogbo’s long-standing support for other towns must now be reciprocated. “We have stood firmly behind others in the past. It is now time for the rest of Osun to support Osogbo. The 2026 governorship slot should be ours, and we are determined to actualize it,” he declared.

With prominent Osogbo indigenes already eyeing tickets in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC), the community leaders expressed optimism that the era of Osogbo’s exclusion from the governorship seat will finally come to an end in 2026.