Osun 2026: Seven in APC guber race with Oyetola’s exit
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo—
Ex-Osun State Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola’s decision to step out of the race for the 2026 governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has changed the dynamics, igniting fresh political moves among gubernatorial hopefuls within the party.
Some of the aspirants have started mobilising support and building statewide strategic alliances preparatory to the governorship primary.
Here are seven aspirants to watch in the build-up to the governorship primary of the APC in Osun.
- Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO)
The current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji from Ikire, is a banker and was the Commissioner for Finance in Osun State during the administrations of former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola. Before his tenure as Commissioner, Oyebamiji was the Managing Director/CEO of Omoluabi Holdings Limited (formerly OSICOL).
He has officially declared his intention to contest and has since embarked on wide consultations with party leaders and members across the state.
- Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi
The chairman of Mutual Benefits Assurance is another aspirant who has openly declared his intention to run. Born in Ile-Ogbo in the Ayedire local government area of Osun State, the seasoned entrepreneur was a governorship aspirant under the PDP and later joined the Accord Party, where he was the governorship candidate in the 2022 election before aligning with the APC. Ogunbiyi has begun active engagements with APC members across the state.
- Senator Babajide Omoworare
Senator Omoworare hails from Ile-Ife. He began his political career as a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly (1999–2007), where he served as Majority Leader under Governor Bola Tinubu. In 2011, Omoworare won the Osun East Senate seat under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He was re-elected in 2015 under the APC, where he served as Senator until 2019. That year, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate Liaison Office), serving under President Buhari until 2023.
Senator Omoworare has officially declared his intention to seek the APC governorship ticket for the 2026 Osun State governorship election and has launched statewide coordinating teams to mobilise grassroots and stakeholder support.
- Senator Ajibola Basiru
Senator Basiru, popularly known as SRJ, is a lawyer and the current National Secretary of the APC. He hails from Osogbo in the Osun Central Senatorial District. He represented the district in the Senate from 2019 to 2023, during which he served as the Senate Spokesperson and later the Chief Whip. He previously held positions as the Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties and as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State from 2010 to 2014. While he has yet to officially declare his ambition, his ongoing consultations have not gone unnoticed.
- Senator Iyiola Omisore
The former Deputy Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is also being touted as a contender for the APC guber ticket. A businessman, engineer, and politician, Omisore served as a member of the Nigerian Senate for Osun East from 2003 to 2011. Though he has not made an official declaration, Omisore’s influence within the party remains significant. The former National Secretary of the APC ran for Governor of Osun State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2014 gubernatorial election and contested for the governorship on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2018.
- Benedict Olugboyega Alabi (BOA)
The former Deputy Governor of Osun State under the Oyetola administration hails from Ikire in Osun West and served as the pioneer Group Chief Executive of Eliezer Group. His latest business ventures include livestock breeding and dairy farming through Kire Integrated Farms and Markets Limited, established in his hometown of Ikire. He emerged as a formidable contender in the 2018 gubernatorial race, which earned him the nomination and election as Deputy Governor of Osun State.
- Omooba Dotun Babayemi
Babayemi hails from Gbongan in the Ayedaade local government of the state. A legal practitioner, financial strategist, and information & communication technologist, Omooba Babayemi has formally declared his ambition.
Originally, Babayemi belonged to the APC but later joined the Action Democratic Party (ADP), where he contested for the Osun West Senatorial seat in 2019, from where he moved to the PDP as a governorship aspirant. He later joined the APC in 2024.
As the APC hopefuls jostle for the governorship ticket amidst such considerations as zoning, competence, and party loyalty, observers predict a keen contest.
However, the challenge before the party may be how to conduct a free and fair primary contest that produces the best candidate who can reclaim the governorship seat it lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022.
