A 39-year-old entrepreneur, Olajide Esan, on Saturday emerged as the governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) for the August 8, 2026, Osun State Governorship election.

Esan, who is also a car dealer, emerged through a consensus arrangement of the party, which was monitored by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Osun State Chairman of AAC, Tayo Adeyemi, while addressing newsmen after the primary held at the party’s secretariat, Powerline area, Osogbo, declared that Esan emerged with the backing of party members across the state.

He noted that the exercise is free, fair, and credible, reflecting the party’s democratic ideals.

In his acceptance speech, Esan said, “The big political parties are oppressing us in this nation. Their type of leadership has weaponised poverty; they have subjugated the public by oppressing them. We have a systemic problem in Nigeria. The system of this country has set us all up to become criminals.

“We must fight this. The current leadership will not do the right thing for us as citizens because it will not pay them. We must collectively enthroned good leadership.”

“When elected, I will create a ministry to check every citizen, to advocate for good welfare,” he submitted.

He charged Osun residents and electorate to enthrone AAC in the 2026 contest by uniting against APC, PDP, and Accord party, saying, “AAC will embark on voter education. Don’t think that saviour is coming from outside. I am here for service.

“My government will create a website where we will display all the public funds. You will all see how money is spent. We must condemn vote buying at all costs. We have arrangements within our party to fight vote buying.

“The system of this country will frustrate the potential in youths. Our mission is to take government from criminals and give it to the general public,” he added.

In other news, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has wholly condemned a statement attributed to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, in which he said that technological innovations cannot be entirely relied upon to ensure a free, fair, and credible election in Nigeria.

A statement by Sunday Bisi, Osun PDP Chairman, on Saturday said: “The INEC Chair, at the annual National Stakeholders Forum on Elections organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with the theme: ‘Securing Nigeria’s Democracy; Building Consensus For Credible Elections and Accountable Governance’ was quoted by the media to have expressed reservations over the effectiveness of technology to be able to overcome the legitimacy of Nigeria’s democracy.”

Bisi, while reacting to the statement and many others made by the INEC chairman at that Abuja public forum, described them “as not only careless, unguarded, but loaded with many pregnant meanings capable of undermining the good expectations of Nigerians and non-Nigerians in the coming elections.”