At least 14 prominent members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have stated that they would challenge Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
The contestants include Otunba Iyiola Omisore, Hon. Bola Oyebamiji, Omooba Dotun Babayemi, Professor Rafiu Durodoye, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, and Hon. Benedict Adegboyega Alabi. Others include Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senator Mudashiru Hussain, Hon. Kunle Rasheed Adegoke, Mr. Babatunde Oralusi, and Dr. Peter Babalola, among countless others yet to make public their declarations.
The following are the candidates from Osun West Senatorial District where Governor Adeleke hails from: Oyebamiji, Alabi, Ogunbiyi, Hussain, Babayemi, and Babalola. Representing Osun East are Omisore, Oralusi, and Omoworare, while Osun Central is represented by Adegoke and Durodoye.
APC governorship primary takes place in December 2025, and all the aspirants are optimistic about getting the party ticket.
American-based lecturer Rafiu Durodoye was the first to officially enter the party’s secretariat in Osogbo on June 3, 2025, while Otunba Iyiola Omisore was the latest to enter on October 8, stating that he would control 90% of delegates’ votes.
Grassroots mobilizer Dotun Babayemi said he has campaigned in 200 of the state’s 322 wards, while a former Commissioner of Finance and current NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, promised to leverage his finance experience to develop Osun’s economy if he swears in as governor.
The ruling PDP, however, countered the APC candidates as “lightweights,” claiming the performance and popularity of Governor Adeleke would secure his re-election.
Reacting, APC Chairman Sooko Tajudeen called for oneness among the contestants, emphasizing the importance of robust grassroots mobilization and mass support for whoever becomes the party’s flag bearer in the quest to take back the state.
