2026: Guber candidates dump their parties over internal crisis, disqualification

…as scramble for new parties creates new alignments

Political developments in Osun State seem to be changing by the day as the 2026 governorship election approaches, with parties and candidates battling over tickets ahead of the polls. Most disruptions and crises within parties usually arise from nominations, especially where anointed candidates are imposed.

Over the years, the battle for the soul of Osun has always been between two leading political parties. However, with the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the new party has battled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has remained solid and unscratched in the state.

At the moment, the political dynamics have changed as the governorship contest for 2026 has taken a new dimension. The race is no longer between two major parties but four political parties now showing strength due to the personalities involved.

Before October this year, when things began to change colour, it was envisaged that the governorship election would be strongly contested by the APC and the PDP. However, there was a dramatic change in calculations when Adeleke, who sought to join the APC, was blocked, while the PDP he had banked on became enmeshed in crisis, forcing him to look elsewhere to contest the election.

With the present situation in Osun’s political landscape, the contest has shifted to four major political parties — APC, Accord Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), now a new force to reckon with because of the involvement of a former governor of the state and ex-Minister of Interior.

Proxy fight and old interests

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, following unresolvable internal crises in the APC which led to the party losing the 2022 election and denying Oyetola a second term against the interest of President Tinubu, effectively sealed his fate in the APC and moved to the ADC.

The PDP, which is also in the contest, has now been regarded as a sinking vessel due to the wrangling it is experiencing at both the federal and state levels, including Osun.

This situation, it was learnt, forced the party to hurriedly elect a candidate regarded as a standby or placeholder, who could not match any of the other three candidates.

Although the Accord Party, like the ADC, has not traditionally been a strong party in Osun State, the emergence of Governor Adeleke, who has been facing strong discomfort from powers at the centre, overnight changed the status of the party and gave it the confidence to contest, similar to the Labour Party in 2023 in the case of Mr Peter Obi.

Accord Party

The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, seeking re-election, found solace in the party after forces at the centre determined to frustrate his second-term ambition.

Adeleke, who initially resolved to remain in the PDP to realise his dream, later discovered that the party might not be the way forward and attempted to join the APC. However, he was blocked by powerful figures in the party in the state, who felt threatened and believed that his entry would guarantee him an automatic ticket, like other serving governors who defected to the APC in their states.

Prominent among those who opposed Adeleke were Senator Iyiola Omisore, now banned by the APC, and former governor, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola, who had earlier dropped his ambition to contest again but had a preferred candidate whose chances would be jeopardised if Adeleke joined the APC.

With that move thwarted, Adeleke intensified his plans and remained in the PDP, purchasing the nomination form endorsed at the party’s national secretariat. However, subsequent developments signalled that remaining in the PDP under those conditions would be inimical to his ambition, prompting his shift to the Accord Party.

Although his opponents created crises for him within the Accord Party, he eventually surmounted the challenges and emerged as the party’s flag bearer. Observers believe the party is now the strongest in contention, as the streets adore him and have shown willingness to follow him.

APC

The emergence of Bola Oyebamiji, former Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority and former Commissioner for Finance during the administration of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, is best described as a payback to Omisore and others who scuttled Adeleke’s defection to the APC due to personal ambitions.

Oyebamiji, a strong ally of former governor and now Minister Oyetola, was one of the aspirants interested in contesting before his former boss stepped aside. At the time, the reason for Oyetola’s sudden withdrawal was unclear, with speculations pointing to Omisore due to alleged promises from President Tinubu. It is now believed that Oyetola stepped aside for Oyebamiji, not Omisore.

Imposition and infighting

After APC aspirants purchased nomination forms and were screened, Omisore and seven others were shocked to be disqualified. The development nearly led to litigation, but those behind the move feared that if primaries were held, their preferred candidate might lose.

The Presidency intervened, and President Tinubu personally invited the aggrieved aspirants to Aso Rock, where the matter was resolved, leading to Oyebamiji emerging as a consensus candidate without a competitive primary.

It was also rumoured that Omisore and others were heavily compensated for their campaign expenses.

ADC

The ADC candidate is no stranger to Osun politics. Dr Najeem Folasayo Salaam is a prominent politician, philanthropist and academic, and a two-term Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly. He has remained close to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, under whom he served.

During the turbulent period of Aregbesola in the APC, Salaam stood firmly by him and later moved with him to the ADC, which has since gained momentum in Osun State.

It was not surprising to many that the former Speaker secured the ADC ticket, having previously been considered for the APC ticket. He emerged as a consensus candidate, polling 520 valid votes out of 528 at the primary election.

PDP

The PDP candidate, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as FRYO, emerged at a primary election held in Osogbo under tight security, scoring 919 votes out of 957 accredited votes.

The primary was marked by violence, and its approval by INEC and the party’s national leadership remains uncertain, as it was conducted by a faction of the party.

The authentic Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, has not approved Adebayo’s emergence, and he is widely regarded as the weakest among the candidates. Public suspicion persists over alleged links to the death of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.

With candidates now known, comments continue to trail the Osun election, widely seen as a test for President Tinubu in the South-West ahead of 2027.

Test of popularity

The ADC, under Aregbesola’s leadership, is determined to prove its strength, while Adeleke insists his popularity transcends party lines.

After securing the Accord ticket, Adeleke expressed confidence, saying he would defeat Oyebamiji because he was “fulfilling the mandate of the people, not that of an individual.”

Accord Party national chairman, Barrister Maxwell Obinali Mgbudem, affirmed that Adeleke remains the party’s sole candidate in Osun State.

ADC primary election chairman, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the party had produced a tested candidate with the capacity to win.

Public surprise followed a statement by Osun PDP chairman, Chief Sunday Bisi, declaring that the party’s entire structure would support Adeleke’s re-election despite his defection.

“I remain the PDP chairman in Osun State till 2027,” Bisi said. “We have already endorsed him for a second term, and we will ensure that happens.”

He declined to comment on the PDP candidate, insisting that the party would work for Adeleke’s victory under the Accord Party.