Osun 2026: AMBO’s Manifesto As A Selling Point -By Kola Odepeju

Of all those running for governorship in Osun and whose parties will appear on the ballot on August 15th this year, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, stands out as a serious candidate and the one who’s mostly ready and focused to change the fortune of the state for better, if given the opportunity to lead the state in the coming gubernatorial election. I say this much because he appears to be mostly determined to take Osun to an enviable height given the contents of his manifesto which he released recently. Going through his manifesto one can see the candidate’s seriousness and determination to move the state forward in all arrears of the state’s life and also to direct the people towards a progressive path.

The blueprint on how he will run his government if elected on 15th of August, which he tagged 7-Point Agenda has shown the direction to which AMBO will lead Osun; the direction of progress and greater heights, that is. It’s important to mention it that unveiling of a candidate’s/party’s manifesto is a key component in electioneering campaigns in the established democracies of the world. For, it reveals what a particular candidate/party has in stock for the people if they give him/her their mandate at the polls. And once unveiled, it becomes the bidding document with which such a candidate/party will be held accountable. So a manifesto is the pact between a candidate/political party and the people and the extent to which a candidate/party remains faithful to that pact – if he gets to power – will surely determine whether such will be returned for another term; where the constitution permits a second term.

Without mincing words, AMBO has endeared himself to the people with the manifesto he presented to the Osun electorate. He has moved a step further beyond his counterparts in the Osun gubernatorial race. His manifesto has shown that he’s well prepared for the job he intends to take up. He has separated himself from the pack and distinguished himself as a serious and visionary leader who can deliver to people’s expectations, if elected. The manifesto has shown him to be a visionary leader who knows the destination to which he wants to take Osun. It has further shown that he isn’t just an ordinary candidate who only wants power for the sake of it. The manifesto has clearly revealed that he has plans for the state and that he knows how to execute those plans in meticulous ways as to achieve the desired positive results.

Unarguably, with that manifesto even those who might not have loved him before or the voters who might not have wanted to vote for him or the party he represents, the content of his manifesto provides enough reason for them to navigate to his side. Of course manifesto presentation is the hallmark of serious candidates and political parties in the advanced democracies of the world. It’s the yardstick with which the enlightened electorates in other climes measure the intelligence and the capacity of each of the contestants in any major election. Voters in those climes vote on the basis of the manifesto that a particular party or candidate presented to them. They prefer to vote for the candidate/party that approached them with a clear-cut agenda rather than a laid back one who has nothing to offer.

AMBO in his manifesto has revealed to us what he has to offer in the different sectors in the life of Osun. And given his antecedent as a man of integrity, a man who’s given to being loyal to his pledges, there’s no doubt that he will surely walk the talk if given the opportunity to govern. Talk of the economy, education, health, agriculture, road infrastructure, commerce and industry, youth employment, sports, the elderly’s and pensioners’ welfare, etc., he has outlined his plans in all these arrears. And for a man with a past record of outstanding performance – both in the private and public sectors, there’s no denying the fact that he will record remarkable achievements in the aforementioned sectors as outlined in his manifesto. Osun will surely witness real development under his leadership if he becomes the governor.

The bold and visionary step AMBO took by declaring his manifesto is being applauded in different quarters across the state and it has earned him more respect amongst the people and fatten his support base. However, rather than for the candidates of other opposition parties to unveil their own manifestos and let the Osun people know what they have to offer, their supporters – especially the supporters of the ruling PD/ACCORD party – only revel in criticising AMBO’s document and referring to it as empty. Osun people are expecting them to come up with their own that will be ‘full’ and let’s do a comparison; instead of just shouting ‘Continuity’ around. Only those with nothing to offer pick holes in a lofty and promising document like that of AMBO.

Odepeju wrote from Iragbiji, Osun State.