Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly South-West Caucus, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the Osun State election, Bola Oyebamiji, to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election and offer constructive policy ideas to strengthen governance in the state. Bamidele made the call in a statement on Monday, August 17, 2026, while reviewing the outcome of Saturday's governorship election, which saw Adeleke of the Accord Party secure a decisive victory with 511,067 votes, defeating Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The Senate Leader said the outcome of the election had reaffirmed the supremacy of the electorate in a democracy and urged all candidates to accept the decision of the people. He stressed that Adeleke's victory placed a responsibility on him to unite the state and ensure that governance was not driven by partisan considerations. "In Osun, the decision of the majority does not only confirm the re-election of Governor Adeleke. It equally places the burden of victory on the elected candidate. This burden requires him to come up with clearly defined post-election measures that will effectively first reunite the state's indigenes and residents across all the political divides," Bamidele said.
The Senate Leader challenged Adeleke to extend a hand of fellowship to his opponents and other political parties in the interest of the state. "To drive a truly inclusive governance, Governor Adeleke must look beyond the political platform that nominated him for the contest and extend his hand of fellowship to other candidates and political parties with a view to building a resilient state that functions in the interests of all people regardless of their leanings," he said. Bamidele specifically appealed to Oyebamiji to reach out to Adeleke, congratulate him and share ideas that could improve governance in the state. "On this premise, I strongly encourage the candidate of our great party, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, to contact Governor Adeleke; congratulate him on his re-election and constructively share with him innovative policy ideas that can help him serve the interests of our people much better," he stated.
In a move that has surprised many political observers, Bamidele argued that the APC should not regard the outcome as an outright loss, pointing to Adeleke's previous association with the party and his alleged support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election. "For me, the APC did not lose the election given the background that Governor Adeleke was coming from as a member of the APC before he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party. Besides, he has always been committed to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu; Governor Adeleke's re-election, therefore, is not just a victory for ACCORD, but also for us in the APC," Bamidele declared.
The Senate Leader also used the opportunity to deliver a serious political warning to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. He noted that the 51.57 per cent voter turnout recorded in the Osun election showed that the party could target at least 60 per cent voter participation across the South-West in 2027. He projected that strategic collaboration with political stakeholders could help the APC mobilise 10 million votes for President Tinubu in the South-West. Bamidele said achieving the target would require the party to overhaul and strengthen its campaign strategy while widening its engagement with the electorate, including artisans, traders, farmers, entrepreneurs, youths, women, labour unions, civil society organisations, community leaders, traditional rulers, business leaders and the elderly.
Bamidele also congratulated the Independent National Electoral Commission on the conduct of the election and said the APC and its candidate remained stakeholders in the development of Osun State despite losing the poll. He maintained that the election should not be viewed solely in terms of party victory or defeat, stressing that the development of Osun State should remain the priority of all political actors. The Senate Leader expressed confidence that the election would strengthen democratic participation and contribute to the economic, social and technological development of the state.
While Bamidele's call for Oyebamiji to congratulate Adeleke has been met with mixed reactions, it reflects a growing sentiment among some APC leaders that the party must adapt to the changing political realities in the South-West. The Osun election result, which saw Adeleke win 19 of the state's 30 local government areas, has been widely interpreted as a rejection of federal might and a testament to the governor's grassroots appeal. For the APC, the challenge now is to learn from the defeat and rebuild its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections. Whether Oyebamiji will heed Bamidele's call remains to be seen, but the Senate Leader has made his position unmistakably clear: the era of political bitterness is over, and the time for constructive engagement is now.
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