Against the backdrop of the 2026 governorship poll in Osun, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the West Senatorial District of the state, on Friday, urged the party to zone its gubernatorial ticket to the zone should the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, refuse to contest.
Rising from a meeting held in Iwo, the party, in a communiqué signed by the chairman of APC in Osun West Senatorial District, Oluremi Omolaoye, said their plea for the ticket will only be pursued if Oyetola, who is also the immediate past state governor, declines to show interest in the party’s ticket.
The meeting was attended by some gladiators from the district, namely the former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello, ex-deputy governor Benedict Alabi, secretary of the APC in the state Kamoru Olabisi, Professor Mojeed Alabi, former governorship aspirant, Dotun Babayemi, among others.
A communiqué released after the meeting said, “This meeting unanimously agreed and passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of our party, APC, at all levels, devoid of any form of bias.
“We resolutely resolved to work jointly in our drive to achieve and sustain a united and committed district towards the promotion of our party from the unit level to the national level with the high hope of winning all elections starting from the Osun State Local Government election slated for the 22nd day of February 2025.
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“This meeting equally x-rayed and deliberated on the spate at which intra-party interest groups are releasing different communiqués on the Osun 2026 gubernatorial race without any recourse to the party leadership. Based on this dangerous trend, we therefore resolved and herein direct a total stoppage of the issuance of such until further directive is given.
“This meeting agreed that the former governor, who doubles as the party leader at the state level and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, has the right of first refusal to the 2026 Osun gubernatorial ticket unless otherwise declared from his end.
“In case of the latter, Osun West Senatorial District pleads passionately with the party leaders to zone the 2026 governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District with the involvement of West Senatorial District’s leaders as regards who becomes our party’s flag bearer.
“That a follow-up meeting, which shall capture all former political officeholders and stakeholders from this district, shall be called in the shortest time possible whilst the three Federal Constituencies leaders are charged to replicate this meeting,”
