A coalition of youth and women’s groups in Osogbo, Nigeria, is urging the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone its 2026 governorship ticket to Osogbo town. The group’s demand is based on the town’s significant electoral weight, which has consistently influenced the outcome of elections in Osun State.
According to the coalition, Osogbo has a substantial number of registered voters, with over 300,000 voters registered during the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Continuous Voter Registration exercise. This represents 15% of the total registration in the state, making it the highest from any single town. The group notes that this demonstrates a disciplined and highly mobilizable electorate.
The coalition’s engagement with traditional rulers, community elders, business leaders, and youth bodies has revealed a collective resolve to mobilize massively if the APC fields an Osogbo-born candidate. The group argues that the town’s voting power has consistently shaped the outcome of close contests, giving any party that wins Osogbo a decisive advantage.
With Senator Ajibola Basiru’s withdrawal from the race, two aspirants of Osogbo origin, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke and Professor Rafiu Durodoye, are still in contention. The coalition notes that both aspirants enjoy goodwill across Osogbo’s traditional, youth, and civic constituencies, reflecting the town’s confidence in its capacity to lead.
The group is urging the APC screening committee to prioritize aspirants of Osogbo origin and engage with them directly to assess their alignment with stakeholders’ expectations. The coalition also calls on the party to consider Osogbo’s mobilization capacity, which it believes is central to securing victory in the 2026 election.
The APC is still in the screening phase, and the coalition sees this as a genuine opportunity for the party to recognize Osogbo’s standing within the state and demonstrate its commitment to balanced representation. The group’s position is made in a spirit of partnership and readiness to support a unified and community-rooted APC campaign.
By selecting an Osogbo-born candidate, the APC would acknowledge the town as both a reliable voter base and a key stakeholder. The coalition’s demand is specific to the APC, as other major parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have reserved their 2026 governorship tickets for the West Senatorial District. The outcome of the APC’s decision will be crucial in determining the party’s chances of winning the 2026 election.