Osun 2026: Party Elders Will Guide Choice of APC Candidate

…I am the aspirant to beat – Oyebamiji

The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, said it will defer to the Elders’ Council in Osun State in determining the direction of the forthcoming governorship primary scheduled for Saturday, December 13, 2025.

This assurance was given by the Party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, when the leading gubernatorial aspirant in Osun State, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), submitted his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for the 2026 governorship election at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

Asiwaju Oyebamiji, accompanied by an unprecedented number of state and national leaders, officials, and critical stakeholders, submitted his form at exactly 5:00 p.m.

Argungu, represented by Deputy Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, said the party is determined to “get it right” in the 2026 election by respecting the wisdom and guidance of the Osun Elders’ Council during the primary.

According to him, Osun State remains strategically important to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and must be reclaimed ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Osun is important because it is in the South West and it is also part of the State we want in our fold before the 2027 general election. Also, the President has a special interest in the State; therefore, we must get it right this time.

“We have elders in the Osun APC, and definitely, if we concede to the elders, we won’t lose the State, and we will get it right as well,” Argungu stated.

He also urged Oyebamiji and his supporters to continue to conduct themselves peacefully as the primary approach.

Speaking earlier, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Bashir, said the party must secure a decisive victory in the 2026 Osun governorship election.

Senator Ajibola, who recently stepped down as an aspirant ahead of the APC primary, noted that Osun remains one of the key states the party is determined to win convincingly.

He, however, urged party members to remain united before and after the primary election in order to ensure victory for the APC.

“We must deliver massively for President Bola Tinubu in 2027. It is one of the States that we are looking forward to winning with a very large margin.”

Speaking after submitting his forms, Asiwaju Oyebamiji declared himself the aspirant to beat in the December 13 primary, stressing that his professional and public service record sets him apart.

According to him, his track record in the banking sector, where he spent 28 years, his stewardship as Managing Director of Osun State Investment Company Limited (OSICOL), his tenure as a two-time Commissioner for Finance in Osun State, and his recent accomplishment as Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), speak volumes.

“I dare to tell you with modesty that I am an aspirant to beat to have resigned my appointment. I worked in the private enterprise, especially in the banking sector, for 28 years, and this is the sector where I was formed, which is a target-oriented sector.

“It is a sector that you just must be profitable, you must work it, and you must know your onion. I worked there, and I have my records, and I resigned from that opportunity to join the public sector. When I joined the public sector in 2012, I was made the managing director of a state investment company and the records are there for any of us here to verify. We did very well, and I’m proud of myself.

“After that, I was the managing director when I was appointed the Commissioner for Finance during former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration, and we exceeded. I am a Commissioner for Finance without a blemish, and just like you said, I was appointed the managing director of NIWA. My two years in NIWA were fantastic. It was a record that has never been matched since the creation of that authority.

He continued, “That gives me the courage that anywhere I take a step to go, with Almighty God, I always succeed, and in this one, we will. We have prayed to God, and we are still working hard, and we are going to deliver the goodies to your party,” Asiwaju Oyebamiji stated.

Dignitaries present during the submission included the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu; National Vice Chairman (North Central), Muazu Bawa Rijau; National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, National Welfare Officer, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, and Deputy National Secretary, Barr. Festus Fuanter, among others.