A coalition of youth stakeholders from the 11 wards of Ejigbo Local Government Area has thrown its weight behind the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
The group announced its endorsement on Wednesday during a press conference, where it also rejected the “Omo-Ilu” (son of the soil) campaign being promoted by some political actors, describing it as a self-serving agenda that does not represent the true developmental interests of Ejigbo.
Addressing journalists, the youths said every election should be decided on competence, performance and the capacity to deliver development rather than emotional or ethnic sentiments.
According to the group, the “Omo-Ilu” narrative was being selectively applied, noting that while campaign materials projected the African Democratic Congress candidate, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, and APC House of Representatives member, Hon. Ayodele Asalu, as indigenous candidates, another Ejigbo indigene and African Action Congress governorship candidate, Hon. Olajide Esan, was excluded.
The stakeholders argued that the omission showed the campaign was “not about collective municipal pride or community unity” but a political strategy designed to advance an individual’s ambition.
The group defended Asalu’s earlier position that “there is no vote for Omo-Ilu,” saying his comments were intended to encourage voters to prioritise competence over sentiment.
They credited the lawmaker with facilitating scholarships for over 7,000 students, installing more than 1,000 solar streetlights across the constituency and providing agricultural support to farmers.
While acknowledging Salaam as “a revered elder, prominent leader and esteemed son of Ejigbo,” the youths maintained that political choices should be guided by the long-term interests of the local government.
“We harbour no malice or personal disrespect toward Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam. Politics is about the collective future of our people, and respecting a leader does not mean remaining silent when political choices risk isolating our local government from state progress,” the group stated.
The stakeholders further alleged that Salaam’s campaign was being supported by political interests outside Ejigbo to weaken the area’s progressive voting strength, claiming his campaign had focused more on criticising President Bola Tinubu and the APC than challenging the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
According to them, Ejigbo youths would not allow the local government to become “a pawn for external political agendas.”
The group said Oyebamiji remained the best candidate for the state, citing his record as former Commissioner for Finance and former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority.
They also pointed to what they described as the historical ties between Ikire, Oyebamiji’s hometown, and Ejigbo, arguing that supporting the APC candidate represented “a strategic alignment with shared ancestry and proven leadership.”
The coalition added that an APC government under Oyebamiji, working alongside President Tinubu at the federal level and Hon. Ayodele Asalu in the National Assembly, would create a stronger partnership capable of attracting infrastructure, economic development and other projects to Ejigbo.
The group appealed to youths, students, artisans, market leaders and other residents of the local government to ignore emotional appeals and vote for Oyebamiji and the APC in the August 15 governorship election.
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