On May 1 and 2, 2026.
respectively, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, an APC aspirant, and Barr. Beulah Adeoye, a PDP aspirant, purchased their governorship expression of interest forms.
In the same development, on May 2, 2026, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, former Deputy Governor of Ọ̀yọ́ State and an APC gubernatorial aspirant, also joined the growing list of aspirants who have purchased the APC governorship expression of interest form.
With these developments, three aspirants from Òkèògùn have not only declared interest but have also taken concrete steps by crossing the next hurdle in the journey toward Agodi Secretariat, with the ambition of occupying the office of the first citizen of Ọ̀yọ́ State.
The political atmosphere in Ọ̀yọ́ State is, therefore, becoming increasingly interesting. Senator Sharafadeen Ali and Chief Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Penkele) are also in the race, having purchased their governorship expression of interest forms on April 30, 2026.
We cannot say with certainty yet. Before the expiration of the deadline, it is still possible that a few more aspirants may step forward to purchase their forms.
Politics often unfolds in stages, and important decisions are sometimes made close to the closing date. For that reason, the field may yet widen before the window finally closes.
However, for some weeks now, the political climate has been clouded by a stream of reports and speculations that have generated confusion. News has circulated widely that Senator Sharafadeen Ali is the anointed candidate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even though the President himself has made no such public declaration. Recently, the Senator’s hand was publicly lifted by some politicians as the sole candidate of the APC. However, available information indicates that those involved represent only a faction of the party.
The long and short of the matter is this: no aspirant has officially been anointed as the APC ticket-bearer or governorship candidate.
Another layer of the rumour making the rounds is that the brain behind the purported anointing is Mr. Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), who is said to prefer an arrangement in which his brother would emerge as running mate and, ultimately, Deputy Governor of Ọ̀yọ́ State.
The thinking behind such a calculation, according to the speculation, is that if the Governor does not emerge from Òkèògùn, then the Deputy Governor would most likely come from Ìbádàn. Such an arrangement, it is argued, would weaken the prospect of the Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ axis, where Mr. Zacch hails from, from eventually producing the Deputy Governor. In that context, if that political dream is to be realised, an Òkèògùn governorship would have to be strategically edged out.
In many respects, this is what has contributed to the tension that has shaped Ọ̀yọ́ State politics in recent weeks. And, it is important to state that it was this kind of political scheming that contributed significantly to the failure of the Ọ̀yọ́ State APC in 2019 and 2023.
The lesson is clear: if the APC does not want to repeat the same experience, then there must be a deliberate change of strategy. Political realities demand fresh thinking, broader consultation, and a more inclusive approach.
After all, it is only a fool who keeps doing the same thing in the same way and expects a different result.
Now that the coast is gradually becoming clearer, and with our sons from Òkèògùn having crossed the hurdle of form purchase, the next major task is how to secure the ticket.
It will not be a bad outcome if Òkèògùn secures the governorship ticket of both APC and PDP, just as Ìbádàn has often done in the past. If such an opportunity comes, we must sit down carefully, weigh all available options, and choose the path most likely to deliver the best result in the end.
In the same vein, if only one party eventually gives Òkèògùn the ticket, then we must be prepared to unite and vote for that candidate.
However, as the journey moves toward the primaries — or any consensus arrangement that the parties may adopt — Òkèògùn must be ready to present one common candidate. At this decisive moment, we must seek supernatural wisdom to help us do what is necessary to arrive at a single aspirant who can carry the collective hope of our people.
This is the time to set aside primordial sentiments. It is the time to weigh all options soberly, sincerely and honestly to allow superior argument to prevail. We should be ready to rally behind the person who is most strategically positioned to advance the cause.
Finally, we must give glory to God, who has brought us this far since December 2024. We thank Him that we are alive, hale, and hearty. We thank Him for supernatural protection on short and long journeys, by day and by night. We thank Him for continually supplying our needs according to His riches in glory. We thank Him for granting wisdom, direction, and strength for every step taken thus far.
We pray that the God who has placed this vision in our hearts to pursue the liberation of our region will neither leave us nor forsake us. We pray that He will lead us through this wilderness into our Promised Land. And we pray that when this vision begins to bear fruit, every one of us will be a partaker of the good things that follow, and that none of us will be missing, by the special grace of God.
Pst. Favour Adéwọyin,
National Secretary, Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa.
