By Gloria Ikibah
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has dismissed claims by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, that the party’s array of governors, National Assembly members and other political heavyweights would guarantee victory in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Reacting to remarks likening the APC’s political strength to a trailer against a “Keke Napep”, the council described the analogy as a display of political arrogance and evidence that the ruling party had misread the mood of Osun voters. 
In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the council argued that elections are determined by the electorate rather than by the number of influential politicians a party can mobilise.
According to the statement, “The people of Osun State are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future, the electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power.
“The APC National Chairman may have assembled what he calls a political trailer, but he should understand that the people of Osun State are not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders. They are the owners of the mandate, and they alone will determine who governs them.”
The council maintained that the forthcoming governorship election would be decided by the performance of the incumbent administration rather than political rhetoric.
“The August 15 election will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke Napep. It will be a contest between a performing Governor who has earned the confidence of his people and an APC candidate who is struggling to gain acceptance among the electorate.
“The reality on the ground is that Governor Ademola Adeleke enjoys tremendous goodwill among the people of Osun State because of the visible achievements of his administration. His record in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, water supply, agriculture, youth empowerment and other critical sectors speaks directly to the people”, he said.
The campaign council also questioned the popularity of the APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, arguing that the party’s dependence on external political figures reflected an inability to build grassroots support within the state.
The council further challenged the APC to focus on presenting policies and programmes instead of relying on political symbolism.
“The APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji is obviously weak and unpopular, the decision of the APC to rely heavily on political figures from outside Osun is an indication of its candidate’s inability to independently mobilise the people.
“Rather than boasting about the number of governors and National Assembly members being deployed to Osun, the APC should tell the people what its candidate has to offer. The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors”, he said.
The Imole Campaign Council urged the opposition party to respect the intelligence of Osun voters by running an issue-based campaign and offering what it described as credible alternatives ahead of the governorship election.
