Osun guber: Federal Might Or Popular Mandate? -By Adeola Ojo

The road to the 2026 Osun governorship election is narrowing as visions, hopes and aspirations become clearer. Amidst claims, insinuations, and strategic calculations, choices are coming into sharper focus. Pundits and far-sighted sages are already donning their binoculars to view the upcoming contest through a sincere perspective.

The recently amended Electoral Act has moved the polls to August 15 this year, rather than the earlier date of August 8. Gladiators and their respective parties are hoping for the best prospects from the festival of democracy slated for that date. Speculations vary widely, and opinions differ as to how events will play out and what results the elections will produce at the end of the day.

One thing is clear: predicting how candidates will fare in elections is always a hard nut to crack. However, the truth that must be told well ahead of the polls is that the most favored candidate will not require “padding,” ballot-stuffing, or any fraudulent gimmicks to emerge. The clear choice of the people will prevail in determining the next helmsman of Osun in the full glare of all stakeholders and the entire world.

This year’s edition of ‘Osun Decides’ will be the fourth in the series of off-cycle elections held to determine who holds the strands of power in the state. The first was held in 2014, following the first tenure of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whose mandate was initially secured through the Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan. That 2014 election was clouded by dicey issues and pre-election speculation, largely because the party at the centre, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was different from the then-metamorphosed All Progressives Congress (APC). The rest is history; Aregbesola won, and that era produced a successor in 2018.

Down the line of memory, the baton changed four years later as the electorate opted for a different path. The incumbent governor, for reasons better shelved for another write-up, will be slugging it out for a second tenure under the platform of the Accord Party.

As the situation stands today, one characteristic that often plays out in Nigerian body politic ahead of significant elections is the expectation that the party at the center will throw its weight around forcefully to install its candidate. This was the same expectation in 2014, but the will of the people knocked it off.

All indications today point to a high possibility that the APC candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji – popularly known as AMBO – will emerge victorious from the contest. The factors making this proposition realistic are many, and they subsist firmly with elements of certainty.

AMBO has rendered a stellar account of himself through his retinue of antecedents. He performed excellently in his first major public engagement in Osun as the Chief Executive of the Osun Investment Company (OSICOL). As a fantastic administrator, he transformed the utility not only by broadening its capital base but also by making it a household name, providing essential needs at affordable prices. The feats recorded by this corporate magnate at Osun Investments crossed the borders of Osun into other Southwestern states and neighbouring Kwara and Niger States.

On the heels of this performance, he served as a Commissioner for two consecutive terms under two successive governors. His steadfast stance as a political juggernaut and his constancy with the progressives – coupled with his unwavering support for progressive ideologies – have endeared him to the hearts of the electorate, not just within the APC but across all political divides.

Beyond the political front, AMBO is a pious, practicing Muslim who has put his influence behind activities aimed at promoting the faith, while never undermining the interests of other religions. Oyebamiji became popular across faiths without a taint of discrimination. A philanthropist par excellence, he has influenced student bodies, trade groups, and professional associations through his magnanimity. Unlike many who scramble for office, his current quest was born out of popular demand.

Until recently, Oyebamiji served as the Chief Executive of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Rendering a brilliant account of himself in this role, he intervened copiously in the wave of boat mishaps across the nation. The rate of water-related calamities was significantly reduced under his careful watch. He was a conspicuous mover and shaker in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu prior to his resignation to contest the Osun polls.

Even in the pursuit of this ‘AMBO-for-Governor’ mission, he stands tall as a ‘jolly fine’ politician, building bridges and mending fences. His human relations skills are fantastic. Within the APC, he has extended an olive branch to those who contested the ticket with him. Outside the party, he is loved by a multitude of voters who will not hesitate to endorse him come August 15.

His acceptance across all districts is intimidating. His milk of kindness drew civil servants to him during his nearly eight-year stint as Commissioner for Finance. Furthermore, his relationship with the traditional palaces and local communities is deep. In his hometown, Ikire, and throughout the Irewole/Isokan/Ayedaade axis, Oyebamiji is clearly the “apple of the eye.”

No doubt about it, ‘Osun guber 2026’ will come and go, but what remains for Osun will be beyond mere winning. The enigma that is Bola Oyebamiji is a promise of service. Having been part and parcel of earlier administrations, he is not a “fresher.” AMBO will hit the ground running, picking up a job he has long prepared for, adding immensely to the prosperity of the people.

●Ojo lives in Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.