Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The battle for the Osun State governorship election assumed a fresh and fierce dimension on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) inaugurated a 276-member National Campaign Council, declaring the August 15 poll a "must-win" contest and a crucial test of its preparedness for the 2027 general elections. However, Governor Ademola Adeleke's Imole Campaign Council (TICC) swiftly dismissed the APC's confidence, describing the mobilisation of political heavyweights as a sign of desperation and insisting that the governor's performance in office would secure him a second term.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, speaking at the inauguration of the campaign council in Abuja, declared that the party would deploy its nationwide political structures, elected officials, and grassroots network to defeat the incumbent governor and reclaim the state for its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji. The 276-member campaign council is chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors' Forum, Hope Uzodimma.
Yilwatda boasted that no political party could match the APC's arsenal of governors, National Assembly members, local government chairmen, councillors, and former elected officials, which the party would deploy for intensive person-to-person and house-to-house campaigns across Osun State. In a striking metaphor, the APC chairman likened his party's political strength in Osun to a "trailer facing a Keke Napep," declaring that the Accord Party, under which Governor Adeleke is seeking re-election, could not withstand the calibre of political figures being assembled. He described the Osun election as a litmus test for the APC's political machinery, saying, "This is our practice ground and our rehearsal for the political machine we are preparing for the general election".
But Governor Adeleke's campaign organisation rejected the APC's claims with equal force. In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the Imole Campaign Council dismissed the "trailer versus Keke Napep" analogy as a demonstration of political arrogance and a failure to appreciate the realities of Osun's political landscape. The council argued that elections are won by the people, not by the number of governors, lawmakers, or political officeholders a party can assemble.
"The people of Osun State are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future. The electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power," the statement read. The council further declared that Osun voters are "not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders" and that the August 15 election "will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke Napep". "It will be a contest between a performing Governor who has earned the confidence of his people and an APC candidate who is struggling to gain acceptance among the electorate".
The Imole Campaign Council highlighted Governor Adeleke's record in office, citing visible achievements in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers' welfare, water supply, agriculture, and youth empowerment as the foundation of his re-election bid. It also criticised the APC's candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, describing him as "weak and unpopular" and arguing that the party's reliance on external political figures reflected its inability to independently mobilise grassroots support. "Rather than boasting about the number of Governors and National Assembly members being deployed to Osun, the APC should tell the people what its candidate has to offer. The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors," the council said.
The APC, however, has framed the election as a critical test of its readiness for the 2027 general elections, with Yilwatda stressing that the party would mobilise governors from the South-West, South-South, and South-East, each taking responsibility for a senatorial district, alongside National Assembly members and local government chairmen. Uzodimma, speaking on behalf of the campaign council, pledged a peaceful, issue-based campaign and urged every party member to see the election as a collective responsibility.
As the clock ticks down to the August 15 poll, both parties have drawn clear battle lines. The APC is betting on its national political machinery and heavyweight endorsements, while Governor Adeleke's camp is banking on what it calls the "visible achievements" of his administration and the independent judgment of Osun voters. With the election just over two weeks away, the people of Osun State will soon decide which vision—and which political metaphor—they believe will best serve their future.
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