Osogbo Youth, Women Coalition Urge APC to Zone 2026 Governorship Ticket to Osogbo

A Coalition of Osogbo Youth and Women’s groups have demanded that the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2026 governorship election in Osun be zoned to Osogbo town.

The group also stated that its demands, which it said were beyond sentiments, stemmed from Osogbo’s strategic electoral weight, which has been central in determining electoral outcomes in Osun State over the years.

In a joint statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Osogbo, the coalition noted that during the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, Osogbo and Olorunda had not less than 300,000 registered voters, representing 15 per cent of total registration in the state.

It added that the figure, the highest from any single town, showed a disciplined electorate. “No other town comes very close and the numbers speak to a disciplined and highly mobilisable electorate,” the group state.

The coalition said its engagement with traditional rulers, community elders, business leaders and youth bodies indicated a collective resolve to mobilise massively if the APC fields an Osogbo-born candidate.

According to the coalition, “That volume of committed voters has consistently shaped outcomes in close contests. Any party that carries Osogbo convincingly enters an election with a decisive advantage.

“Grassroots structures, neighbourhood teams and youth mobilisation networks are already in motion,” it said.

The group noted that Senator Ajibola Basiru’s withdrawal from the race had left two aspirants of Osogbo origin still in contention, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke and Professor Rafiu Durodoye.

The coalition said both aspirants enjoyed goodwill across Osogbo’s traditional, youth and civic constituencies.

“Their ambitions reflect the town’s confidence in its capacity to lead.”

The group urged the APC screening committee to give thoughtful priority to aspirants of Osogbo origin as screening progresses and called on the party to engage both aspirants directly and assess their alignment with stakeholders’ expectations.

It further urged the APC to consider Osogbo’s mobilisation capacity, describing it as central to securing victory in the 2026 election.

“This support is not peripheral. It is central to the task of winning,” the coalition said.

The statement explained that the call was directed specifically to the APC because other major parties, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had reserved their 2026 governorship tickets for the West Senatorial District.

It added that the APC, still in the screening phase, had a “genuine opportunity to recognise Osogbo’s standing within the state and demonstrate commitment to balanced representation.”

The coalition emphasised that its position was made in a spirit of partnership and readiness to support a unified and community-rooted APC campaign.

It said selecting an Osogbo-born candidate would acknowledge the town as both a reliable voter base and a key stakeholder.