The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has dismissed the confidence expressed by the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, over the party’s chances in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, insisting that the opposition is heading for a “massive defeat” despite plans to deploy governors, National Assembly members and other political heavyweights to the state.

The council was reacting to Yilwatda’s recent “trailer versus Keke Napep” analogy, in which he suggested that the APC’s political machinery would overwhelm Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the Imole Campaign Council described the APC chairman’s remarks as an expression of political arrogance and a sign that the party had failed to appreciate the political realities in Osun.

The council argued that elections are won by the people rather than by the number of influential politicians a party can assemble from outside the state.
“The people of Osun State are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future. The electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power,” the statement said.

It added that while the APC may have assembled what it described as a political “trailer,” the people of Osun were “not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders,” stressing that only the electorate has the power to determine who governs the state.

According to the campaign council, the August 15 governorship election will not be decided by political metaphors but by the performance of the Adeleke administration and the credibility of those seeking to replace it.

The council maintained that Governor Adeleke enjoys widespread goodwill across the state because of what it described as visible achievements in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, water supply, agriculture, youth empowerment and other key sectors.

It also took a swipe at the APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, alleging that the party’s reliance on political figures from outside Osun reflected his inability to independently mobilise support among the electorate.

Rather than boasting about the number of governors and other party leaders expected to campaign in the state, the council challenged the APC to present concrete policy alternatives and explain what its candidate intends to offer the people of Osun.

“The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors,” the statement added.

The council urged the APC to respect the intelligence of Osun voters and focus its campaign on issues instead of relying on what it described as external political mobilisation, expressing confidence that Governor Adeleke would secure another mandate at the polls.