In a significant development, at least seven governorship aspirants from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have withdrawn from the race after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday. The aspirants agreed to support Bola Oyebamiji as the consensus candidate for the upcoming primary election.
President Tinubu convened the meeting, which was attended by former Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, and Mulikat Abiola Jimoh. Iyiola Omisore, however, boycotted the session, having earlier described his disqualification from the primary as a “joke” and expressing dissatisfaction.
The decision by the seven aspirants to step down and back a consensus candidate is seen as an effort to unify the party ahead of the primary. As the leader of the APC, President Tinubu’s endorsement of Bola Oyebamiji is likely to influence the outcome of the primary election.
The Osun State governorship election, scheduled for the coming months, is expected to be highly contested and closely watched given the state’s strategic importance in Nigerian politics. With the APC now seemingly united behind a single candidate, its chances of winning may have improved. The next step is for the APC to conduct its primary, where Bola Oyebamiji will be the consensus flagbearer. The eventual primary result will determine the party’s candidate in the governorship race, which will pit the APC against other parties, including the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in what promises to be a competitive contest with significant implications for the state’s political landscape.
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