Sons and daughters of the ancient city of Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, have called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pick an indigene of Osogbo as its candidate for the 2026 governorship election.

The indigenes of Osogbo, under the Coalition of Osogbo Youth and Women’s Groups, while addressing journalists in the state capital on Tuesday, said that despite Osogbo’s central role in determining electoral outcomes in the state for years, the city has not produced an Osun governor.

Reading the text of the conference for the groups, Abdulrahman Okunade assured the APC that its victory would be a landslide if it considers any of its governorship aspirants as flagbearer, saying the groups are ready to mobilise heavily in support of the party.

According to Okunade, the APC stands better chances of coasting to victory at the polls with an Osogbo-born as its candidate, noting that “The recently updated voter registration in Osun State (through the Continuous Voter Registration) has resulted in 1,954,800 registered voters, with 360,794 uncollected Permanent Voter’s Cards. With this update, Osogbo and Olorunda have not less than 300,000 registered voters, which represent 15 per cent of the total registration in the state, which is the highest from any single town. No other town comes very close. These numbers speak to a disciplined and highly mobilisable electorate.”

“That volume of committed voters has consistently shaped outcomes in close contests. Any party that carries Osogbo, convincingly enters an election with a decisive advantage,” he added.

Okunade disclosed that the coalition has spent months engaging traditional leaders, community elders, youth organisations, business leaders, and civic groups, adding that “Across these conversations, one message reappears. That is, if the APC fields an Osogbo-born candidate, the town is prepared to galvanise its full political machinery. Grassroots structures, neighbourhood teams, youth mobilisation networks, community outreach platforms, and voluntary support groups are already in motion. The resolve is genuine and collective.”

He said that with Senator Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of the APC, having withdrawn from the race, two aspirants from Osogbo remain. “They are Mr. Kunle Rasheed Adegoke (K-RAD), SAN, and Professor Rafiu Durodoye. Both men enjoy significant goodwill across Osogbo’s traditional institutions, youth communities, business circles, and civic bodies.

“Their ambitions reflect the town’s confidence in its capacity to lead. Durodoye is a United States-based Professor of Mathematics. Adegoke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is a long-standing member of the APC and doubles as the party’s leading attorney. He first aspired to the state’s number one position under the same APC in
2018.

“We urge the party’s leadership to give thoughtful priority to aspirants of Osogbo origin as screening progresses; engage both aspirants directly and evaluate their alignment with the goals and aspirations of Osogbo stakeholders; consider the mobilisation commitment that Osogbo is prepared to bring into the election. This support is not peripheral. It is central to the task of winning.

“Selecting an Osogbo-born candidate strengthens the party’s electoral prospects and affirms Osogbo’s longstanding contribution to the APC’s success,” he maintained.