Osun 2026: APC Elders Endorse Oyebamiji Consensus Candidate

With just 13 days to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Osun State, the party’s apex Elders’ Council, Igbimo Agba Osun, has endorsed the state’s former commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) as its consensus candidate.

The Elders’ Council, led by Engr. Sola Akinwumi, former chairman of the Odu’a Group of Companies, described Asiwaju Oyebamiji, the immediate past managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), as the preferred flag-bearer of the party for the 2026 governorship election.

The endorsement followed a comprehensive screening exercise conducted by the council, during which no fewer than 12 gubernatorial aspirants were assessed.

Speaking on the development, a member of the council who craved anonymity said the decision was informed by Oyebamiji’s outstanding leadership records across both the private and public sectors, as well as his “clean and verifiable credentials and his popularity in the state.”

According to the source, the council gave significant consideration to the recommendations of the APC Repositioning Committee, submitted in 2024, which emphasised that the long-standing agitation for power shift to Osun West Senatorial District should be a major factor in selecting the party’s candidate.

The Elders’ Council reportedly also considered previous communications from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signalling the President’s preference for a candidate from Osun West in the spirit of fairness and equity.

To this end, a former national executive of the party was said to have been asked to step down, with assurances of an ambassadorial appointment in the coming weeks.

It was further learnt that the decision of the Agba Osun played a major role in the public declaration of support for the AMBO project by a prominent member of the council from Iwo Federal Constituency, Professor Deremi Abubakar, who openly flagged off the governorship movement days ago.

Similarly, the former national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, reportedly informed aspirants of President Tinubu’s decision to support Oyebamiji’s candidature for the 2026 poll.