6 Days to Osun Election: Political Heavyweights, Monarchs Rally Behind APC as Oyebamiji Gains Momentum
6 Days to Osun Election: Political Heavyweights, Monarchs Rally Behind APC as Oyebamiji Gains Momentum
With just six days to the Osun State governorship election, the political atmosphere across the state is witnessing significant realignments as prominent politicians, influential groups and traditional figures throw their weight behind the All Progressives Congress candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.
The developments have given the APC fresh momentum in the final stretch of the campaign and intensified the battle between Oyebamiji and Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking another term on the platform of the Accord Party in the August 15 governorship election.
One of the most significant developments has been the support for Oyebamiji from former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, whose political experience, network and influence have made his position a major talking point in the closing days of the campaign.
Oyinlola’s position has been accompanied by endorsements and mobilisation from other political actors and groups, strengthening the APC’s argument that its candidate is attracting support beyond the party’s traditional base.
The Osun State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers has also publicly backed the APC candidate, with supporters staging a road walk as part of mobilisation efforts for Oyebamiji.
Across several local government areas, the APC campaign has continued to record endorsements and political realignments, with the party presenting the developments as evidence of growing grassroots acceptance of its candidate.
Traditional institutions have also featured prominently in the unfolding political conversation.
The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has publicly expressed support for the APC candidate and urged his people to consider Oyebamiji, citing his confidence in the candidate’s competence and capacity to govern Osun.
Support from traditional rulers carries considerable symbolic importance in communities where monarchs remain influential voices on issues affecting local development, although voters ultimately retain the constitutional right to independently choose their preferred candidate.
The developments have created an increasingly difficult final stretch for the Accord Party as it works to maintain its political coalition and counter the momentum being projected by the APC.
Political sources familiar with developments within the state say the Adeleke camp has intensified consultations and strategic meetings as the election approaches. Such engagements are expected in a tightly contested governorship race where mobilisation during the final days could prove decisive.
The Accord Party has nevertheless continued its own campaign and is expected to rely heavily on Adeleke’s record in office, existing political structures and supporters who believe his administration deserves another mandate.
There have also been reports of political figures moving in the opposite direction.
A former APC national secretary has reportedly aligned his political structure with Adeleke, a development the governor’s supporters could point to as evidence that political movement ahead of the election is not entirely one-sided.
However, sources within the APC have questioned how much of that political structure will translate into actual votes, arguing that the movement of prominent politicians does not necessarily guarantee that their supporters will follow them.
Claims have also circulated within political circles that some politicians surrounding various camps are motivated more by immediate political interests than ideological commitment. Such claims remain political assertions and cannot independently establish how individual politicians or their supporters will vote.
What appears increasingly clear is that the battle for Osun has entered its most critical stage.
For Oyebamiji, the expanding list of endorsements offers the APC an opportunity to project its candidate as the centre of a widening political coalition built around experience, competence and a promise of a different direction for Osun.
The APC has particularly emphasised Oyebamiji’s experience as a former Osun State Commissioner for Finance and former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority, arguing that his financial and administrative background prepares him for the responsibilities of governing the state.
Oyebamiji has campaigned on tackling poverty and hunger while expanding investment in agriculture, education, healthcare, security and human capital development.
His supporters also believe an APC government in Osun could establish stronger cooperation with the Federal Government, potentially improving the state’s ability to attract federal projects, investments and other development opportunities.
For Adeleke, however, the election represents an opportunity to defend his administration’s record and convince voters that continuity offers Osun a better pathway than returning the APC to power.
His campaign is therefore confronted with two simultaneous challenges: defending its achievements while responding to the political endorsements and realignments being celebrated by the opposition.
The decisive question is whether the high-profile endorsements being recorded by the APC will translate into votes on election day.
Political endorsements can generate momentum, but elections are ultimately won at polling units. The APC must therefore convert the enthusiasm surrounding Oyebamiji into voter mobilisation across Osun’s 30 local government areas.
With only six days remaining, every rally, endorsement, political defection and grassroots mobilisation effort assumes greater significance.
The emerging battle is no longer merely between political parties. It is increasingly becoming a contest between Adeleke’s argument for continuity and Oyebamiji’s promise of a different approach to governance.
The apparent convergence of former political officeholders, grassroots organisations and influential traditional voices around Oyebamiji has undoubtedly given the APC a powerful narrative heading into the final days.
Whether that momentum will produce victory will be determined by Osun voters when they cast their ballots on August 15.
But one thing is increasingly evident: the race has entered a decisive phase, and Bola Oyebamiji and the APC are approaching election day with renewed political momentum.
