Traditional and community leaders in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, have declared their unified support for the Osogbo Elders Council, demanding that the 2026 governorship ticket of major political parties be zoned to their town.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the Osun State governorship election for Saturday, August 8, 2026.
Despite Osogbo’s longstanding influence as a political powerhouse dating back to its time within the old Oyo State, no native of the city has ever held the office of governor in Osun’s 34-year history.
Speaking during Oroki Asala, a current affairs programme aired on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) Radio, the Baale of Gbodofon and Chairman of the Osogbo Council of Baales, High Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, said the town is now more united than ever in its quest to produce the next governor.
He praised the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, for establishing the Osogbo Action Committee and the Osogbo Elders Council initiatives designed to bridge internal divides that had previously undermined the city’s political ambitions.
“The Ataoja’s efforts have brought a new sense of unity,” Chief Ibrahim said. “All Baales in Osogbo now speak with one voice. As Chairman of the Council of Baales, I fully endorse the Elders Council’s call for an Osogbo indigene to become governor in 2026. We are ready to play our part to make this a reality.”
Echoing this sentiment, Prince Adeleke Oduola Ibiloye, Chairman of the Osogbo Elders Council, emphasized that Osogbo’s loyalty to other regions in past elections deserves to be reciprocated.
“For decades, Osogbo has supported candidates from other zones,” he noted. “It is now our turn. We call on the rest of Osun to rally behind us. The 2026 governorship slot must come to Osogbo, and we are resolute in making that happen.”
With several prominent Osogbo indigenes already positioning themselves within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC), the city’s leaders are hopeful that the long-standing marginalization will end and that Osogbo will finally take its place at the helm in 2026.
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