Osun Governorship: APC, PDP groping for unity ahead 2026 poll

Although the journey to the 2026 governorship poll in Osun State may seem far, stakeholders in the politics of the state are not taking chances as they are already in the trenches to draw up plans ahead of the crucial exercise.

This is coming as the two major political parties in the state – the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – are embroiled in internal squabbles, which is tearing the fabrics of the parties apart. Deft moves to mitigate the effects of such internal crisis in both political parties have neither yielded positive results nor abated the festering hostilities as some stakeholders seem not ready to sheathe their swords for peace to reign; all in a bid to protect deep rooted interests.

Political pundits are of the view that the two parties have many issues to contend with ahead of the election, identifying factionalisation, ambition and marginalisation as some of the factors fuelling the crisis within the parties.

In the APC, unending crisis between the groups loyal to former Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and the incumbent Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, which culminated in the loss of the 2022 gubernatorial election by the party, is still posing a significant threat to the strategy of the APC to wrest power from the ruling PDP in the 2026 poll. Both Oyetola and Aregbesola were former governors of Osun State under the banner of the APC. Oyetola was the Chief of Staff to Aregbesola when he was a governor between 2010 and 2018 before resigning to contest for the governorship election.
Findings indicated that intrigues that characterised the emergence of Oyetola as the flag bearer of APC during the 2022 governorship poll further polarised the party, as the apparent disapproval of his candidacy by Aregbesola created a wider gulf, which has remained unresolved till date. This led to the formation of Aregbesola’s splinter groups within the Osun APC – The Osun Progressives (TOP) and Omoluabi Progressives Caucus – which were launched in 2023.

While some of the party members are worried that failure to resolve the feud between Aregbesola and Oyetola may thwart the electoral prospects of the APC in the 2026 poll, other stalwarts expressed optimism that the feud would be settled.

Recently, another twist was added to the crisis when the immediate past Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Adebayo Adeleke, said Aregbesola was no longer a member of the APC. Adeleke served as a commissioner in the cabinet of ex-governor Oyetola.

Speaking during the Osun Central Senatorial meeting of the APC held in Osogbo, the state capital, he contended that all serious members of the party in the state were aware that Aregbesola was not a member of the party.

As part of the moves to contain the effects of the crisis between the two major political gladiators in the state APC, the party recently constituted a reconciliation committee with the mandate to restore peace among its members. Also, a committee headed by former Minister of Health, Dr. Isaac Adewole, was set up at the state level to reinvigorate the party.

According to a statement by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the reconciliation committee would be headed by Alhaji Sule Aderemi from Boripe Local Council while the members are Elder J. A. Oni from Atakumosa East Local Council and Ademola Akeem Adesina from Irepodun Local Council.

Other members of the reconciliation committee are Dupe Ajayi from Obokun Local Council; Sola Ogunfolaju from Ayedaade Local Council; Bisi Odewumi from Ife North Local Council, while Bisi Ogunkale from Ayedire Local Council will serve as the secretary of the committee.

Commenting on the reconciliatory process, Olabisi stated: “It is not about any particular individual(s); the Osun State chapter of the APC is working assiduously to reconcile all the disenchanted genuine members and leaders of the party who all believe in the supremacy of the party and exhibit undiluted willingness and interest for the party to take its leading role in the state through the 2026 general election in the state.

“To this effect, the state leadership of the APC has inaugurated a reconciliation committee led by Alhaji Sule Aderemi, whose terms of reference include reaching out to those who may be having a score to settle with the party.

“It would be recalled that before now, the state leadership of the APC had stated that any aggrieved member/leader of the party who is after genuine reconciliation is free to work down to his ward chairman in his local government, pledge his loyalty to the party and start attending regular meetings with a view to invigorating the party towards the 2026 elections.

“Quite a sizable number of the former aggrieved members of our party have been integrated back into the party. Such a decision to return to the party is, however, individual and not collective.”

In the PDP, the party’s top echelon is battling with the alleged marginalisation of some stakeholders in the party and the planned defection of some party chieftains and their supporters to the APC.
Misgivings among the supporters of some governorship aspirants on the platform of the party created by the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in 2022 have not really healed. It has rather been exacerbated by the alleged winner takes all disposition of Adeleke after winning the governorship poll. Though overtures had been made to calm frayed nerves, it appears that there is discontent among the supporters of Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi and Prince Dotun Babayemi, who contested for the party’s gubernatorial ticket with Adeleke. It was gathered that the duo of Ogunbiyi and Babayemi had perfected plans to decamp to the APC with their supporters; a development the PDP leadership seems to be unconcerned about to the chagrin of some members.

Similarly, the hostilities between Adeleke’s group and supporters of the former South West chairman of the party, the late Adesoji Adagunodo, is another hurdle for the ruling party to scale in its bid to maintain its hold on power.

Some loyalists of Adagunodo recently alleged that the Adeleke administration was surreptitiously planning to mark a fake one year remembrance of Adagunodo, who they claimed the governor’s group fought till death and refused to participate in any of his burial rites.

In a statement jointly signed by some leaders in the Babayemi faction, an erstwhile zonal leader of the party, Ojo Williams; Mr. Emmanuel Monyeh and Prince Adelani Ajanaku, after a meeting to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Adagunodo, they accused Adeleke and the state party executives of  playing politics with the repose of the deceased.

The statement read in part: “At a meeting of his ardent followers held at Osogbo on Monday, we, the victimised by the party because of the defence of the democratic ideals we stood for, met to commemorate the activities organised for him (Adagunodo) last year and to deliberate on programmes outlined to immortalise him.

“It’s unfortunate that some of those who pretended to support him became renegades and turncoats for a mess of pottage even before he became cold in his grave and are now hell-bent to destroy all he stood for by  acting as agents provocateurs.

“We wonder why the people who derided and denigrated Adagunodo even at death could turn around to claim they were remembering him at the first anniversary of his demise. This contradicts logic and it’s a joke that must stop forthwith.

“Adeleke and his people, as well as the party, did everything to frustrate the late Adagunodo. Now, because of the impending mass defection of thousands of Prince Dotun Babayemi and Adagunodo’s supporters, they (Adeleke and the PDP), want to be clever by half by pretending to be sympathetic to the course of the late Adagunodo who they fought till death.”

The leaders insisted that injustice and marginalisation within the PDP were beyond measure, maintaining that nothing would stop the planned movement of thousands members of the group.

“They are begging us not to cross over to APC but it’s already a late call. When they had the opportunity, they were abusing us all over the place. They also started remembering leaders of the party hitherto denigrated to achieve this purpose with a joint call to reactivate the jettisoned Elders Forum. For us, our involvement in APC will bear fruits as the party will have clean sweeps at the coming poll in 2026,” the statement concluded.

However, while reacting to the challenges facing the PDP in Osun ahead of the 2026 governorship poll, the state secretary of the party, Prince Bola Ajao, argued that the PDP was on a strong pedestal to secure victory during the exercise.

Admitting that some members are aggrieved, he stated: “There were (and still ongoing) concerted efforts by the various organs of the party i.e. ward level, local government level, senatorial level and even the state chapter offering disciplined leadership and making necessary political moves to appease aggrieved members of the party arising from one issue or the other.

“There have been systemic visitations offering conflict resolution templates, determining political questions and bringing forth messages of hope and reconciliation all in the overall best interest of the party, the government and Osun State in general.”

On the alleged frosty relationship between Adeleke and some elders of the party, he said: “With due respect, this is not true; even less than a week ago, precisely Sunday, May 5, 2024, the state governor had a reconciliation/harmonisation meeting with distinguished leaders such as former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Senator Olu Alabi, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade etc, where the oneness of the party was further stamped/entrenched. The media space was awash with the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.”

Regarding the planned defection of Babayemi to the APC, Ajao stated that he had been expelled from the party more than one year ago.

“So, Dotun Babayemi cannot be rightly described as defecting from PDP to APC. It is also instructive to know that he had once left the APC to ADP and so on. For Dr. Ogunbiyi, he was the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the 2022 gubernatorial election and was rebuffed by his Ayedire Local Council upon his infantile attempt to return back to the party,” he said.

With about two years to the election, observers are watching to see how the PDP and APC would put their houses in order and go into the elections with a united front. This is crucial to any party that aims at winning the poll.