Seven governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have stepped down from the party’s forthcoming primary election to back former Ekiti State Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, as the consensus candidate.
The decision followed a high-level meeting convened by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, aimed at unifying the party and preventing a divisive primary contest ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state.
Those reported to have withdrawn their ambitions include former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi; Dotun Babayemi; Akin Ogunbiyi; former Senator Babajide Omoworare; Kunle Adegoke (SAN); Babatunde Haketer Oralusi; and Mulikat Abiola Jimoh.
Multiple media reports indicated that during the meeting, the aspirants agreed to collapse their structures and rally support behind Oyebamiji in the interest of party unity and electoral strength.
However, one prominent aspirant, former Deputy National Secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was absent from the meeting. Reports said Omisore boycotted the gathering after he was earlier disqualified from participating in the APC governorship primary. He has since publicly described his disqualification as “a joke.”
While the development has been widely described as a consensus arrangement brokered by President Tinubu, details surrounding the specific terms of the agreement and whether formal documentation has been concluded remain unclear. As of the time of reporting, there has been no publicly released joint statement from the seven aspirants explaining the conditions under which they stepped down or confirming the finality of their decision.
Party insiders say the move is part of efforts by the APC leadership to present a united front ahead of the governorship election, though reactions from all stakeholders, including Omisore and the withdrawing aspirants themselves, are still emerging.
The APC is yet to issue an official statement formally announcing Oyebamiji as its consensus candidate, leaving open questions about the next steps in the party’s primary process.
Abuja Network News
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