By: Peter Emmanuel |
With the August 15 Osun governorship election only days away, 14 candidates are competing for one seat, but the contest has increasingly centred on three political figures: incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Folasayo Salaam.
The election has been shaped not only by campaign promises but also by questions over the performance of the incumbent, the APC’s promise of change, the ADC’s attempt to establish a third political force, political realignments and the credibility of the plans being presented to voters.
With the campaigns entering their final stretch, the central question for Osun voters is no longer simply who is asking for their votes, but what each candidate is offering and whether those promises provide a convincing plan for the state’s next four years.
14 Candidates, 3 Contenders for One Governorship Seat
The August 15 election will feature 14 candidates from different political parties, although Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam have emerged as the most prominent figures in the race.
The other candidates are Olanrewaju Farinloye of the Action Alliance, Esan Olajide of the African Action Congress, Adeagbo Opawoye Yemisi of the Action Democratic Party, Adesina Adeyemi-Doro of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Adewale Adebayo of the Allied Peoples Movement, Clement Adesuyi of the Action Peoples Party, Masilo Adeleke of the Boot Party, Taofeek Adeleke of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Saliu Oyelami of the Peoples Redemption Party, Olalekan Ogunsakin of the Young Progressives Party and Adefemi Adesuyi of the Zenith Labour Party.
The field includes candidates with backgrounds in government, politics, business, education and other areas, giving voters alternatives beyond the three campaigns receiving the most attention.
The crowded ballot, however, does not necessarily translate into an evenly matched contest. The size of the field has been accompanied by a concentration of political attention around the incumbent and his two leading challengers.
The three campaigns have also taken different approaches to winning the electorate. Adeleke is defending his record in office, Oyebamiji is presenting the APC as an alternative, while Salaam is seeking to turn ADC into a viable third force.
Their competing messages have consequently become central to the political conversation ahead of the election.
Adeleke Seeks Another Term on Record of Continuity
For Governor Ademola Adeleke, the election is largely a referendum on his first-term performance and his argument that ongoing projects and programmes require another four years to be consolidated.
Adeleke, who won the 2022 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party before moving to the Accord platform, is campaigning on what his camp describes as an expanded development agenda. His campaign has focused on infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, workers’ welfare and other areas of government performance.
His campaign has pointed to road construction, flyover projects, primary healthcare interventions, cooperative financing and efforts to address salary and pension obligations as evidence of progress under his administration. The government has also presented debt reduction, payroll reforms, digital governance and increased internally generated revenue as part of its economic management record.
The continuity argument is therefore at the heart of Adeleke’s re-election campaign. Rather than presenting the election as a complete departure from the current direction, his campaign is asking voters to allow the administration to complete projects and deepen programmes already underway.
That position gives the incumbent an obvious advantage in one respect: he can point to actual government projects and policies rather than proposals alone.
But it also exposes his campaign to a different kind of scrutiny. Voters can assess not only what Adeleke says he will do but what his administration has delivered, what remains unfinished and whether the pace and quality of implementation justify another term.
Oyebamiji Pushes Change Under APC Reform Agenda
Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji said his campaign is built around the need for change. Speaking on TVC News, Oyebamiji said Osun needs a new approach to governance and economic management.
The APC candidate is a former Commissioner for Finance in Osun State and former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). His public-sector background has become an important part of his campaign, particularly as he presents himself as a candidate with experience in financial management.
His campaign has focused on economic revival, financial discipline, institutional reform, job creation and infrastructure. The APC candidate has also promoted public-private partnerships as a means of attracting investment into agriculture, industry and infrastructure.
The campaign’s reform argument is closely tied to its criticism of the incumbent administration. Oyebamiji and the APC have questioned aspects of government spending, project delivery and financial management while promising a different approach if elected.
That makes the APC’s case fundamentally different from Adeleke’s. While the incumbent is asking voters to judge an existing record, Oyebamiji is asking them to compare that record with an alternative model of governance.
The strength of that argument will depend largely on whether voters are persuaded that the proposed reforms can address the economic and social pressures confronting the state and whether the APC can translate its campaign agenda into practical policies.
Salaam Positions ADC as Third Political Force
Najeem Folasayo Salaam said his campaign occupies a different space in the race, with a Women and Youth Manifesto, a citizen-authored policy document developed through direct consultations with women and young people across the state.
Salaam who is the former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly is presenting the ADC as an alternative to the Accord-APC contest, with a campaign centred on institutional accountability, local government autonomy and grassroots development.
His campaign has also addressed agriculture, electricity, education, healthcare, youth empowerment and rural development, with emphasis on strengthening local institutions and giving communities a greater role in development.
The ADC’s third-force argument is important in a race where the two leading camps have dominated much of the political conversation. Salaam’s challenge is to convert interest in an alternative into sufficient electoral support across the state’s 30 local government areas.
His legislative background also provides the campaign with a governance narrative different from those of the incumbent and APC candidate. The focus is less on defending an existing executive record and more on promising stronger institutional checks and grassroots administration.
Whether that message can break through the established structures of the Accord and APC will be one of the questions answered at the ballot.
Jobs, Welfare, Infrastructure Drive Campaign Debate
Across the three major campaigns, economic and social issues have emerged as recurring themes.
Workers’ and pensioners’ welfare remains one of the major areas of interest. Adeleke has made salary and pension payments part of his administration’s record, while the opposition has continued to place economic management and public-sector welfare among its campaign concerns.
Infrastructure is another major dividing line. Adeleke is campaigning around projects already initiated by his administration, including major road and flyover projects, while Oyebamiji is linking infrastructure development to broader economic investment and private-sector participation. Salaam’s proposals also place emphasis on infrastructure that can support agriculture and rural communities.
Jobs and youth opportunities feature prominently in the campaigns as candidates seek to respond to unemployment and economic pressure. Agriculture, industrial development, skills acquisition and private investment are among the routes proposed by the different camps.
Healthcare and education are also prominent, with promises ranging from primary healthcare improvements and school infrastructure to teacher development and vocational training.
The similarities in the promises are notable. Most candidates acknowledge the same broad problems. The difference lies in how they propose to finance, implement and sustain their solutions.
That makes the election less about whether candidates recognise Osun’s problems and more about which candidate has offered voters the most convincing route from policy promises to measurable results.
Beyond Campaign Promises, Can They Deliver?
The question of implementation has become particularly important following the release of the ÀDÉHÙN Pre-Election Accountability Report by the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI).
The report assessed publicly available campaign commitments using five indicators: clarity, feasibility, alignment, coverage and inclusivity. PLSI said the assessment was designed to examine not just what candidates were promising but how prepared those promises were for implementation.
Its findings were critical of the level of policy preparation across the field. According to the organisation, none of the assessed candidates reached its “Excellent” policy-readiness category.
PLSI also found that none of the assessed candidates had published a fully costed manifesto or an implementation-ready fiscal framework. It said many of the promises lacked programme costing, financing strategies, implementation timelines, institutional delivery arrangements and measurable performance indicators.
The finding does not by itself establish that the candidates cannot deliver their promises. Instead, it raises a practical question that voters can apply to every campaign: How much will the promise cost, where will the money come from, when will it be implemented and how will its success be measured?
That test becomes especially important in areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, job creation and workers’ welfare, where ambitious promises require sustained public spending.
For voters, therefore, the ÀDÉHÙN assessment provides another way of examining the competing manifestos — not simply by asking which promise sounds better, but by asking whether the candidate has shown enough evidence of preparedness to deliver it.
Political Alliances Add New Dimension to Osun Race
The election is being fought not only through manifestos but also through political alliances and realignments.
Adeleke’s move from the PDP to the Accord platform has altered the political configuration of the election, while the APC is seeking to use its political structure and support base to return to power in the state.
Oyebamiji has also received support from prominent political figures. Former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Secretary to the State Government Fatai Akinbade and former PDP National Vice Chairman, South-West, Tajudeen Oladipo have publicly rallied behind the APC candidate.
Such endorsements could add weight to the APC’s mobilisation efforts, although their impact at the ballot box remains a question for election day.
The ADC, meanwhile, is attempting to position itself as an alternative to the two major camps and attract voters who may not want to choose between continuity under Adeleke and a return to APC leadership.
The political calculations have also unfolded against a backdrop of concern over campaign violence and tension. Stakeholders have repeatedly called for issue-based campaigns, while candidates and political actors have been urged to maintain peaceful conduct ahead of the poll.
These alliances and political movements matter because electoral strength is not determined by manifesto quality alone. Party organisation, grassroots networks, endorsements, voter mobilisation and the ability to translate campaign support into turnout will all influence the final result.
What Is at Stake for Osun Voters?
For Osun voters, the August 15 election is ultimately a choice between competing arguments about how the state should be governed over the next four years.
Adeleke is seeking another term on the strength of continuity and his administration’s record. Oyebamiji is campaigning on change, economic reform and a different approach to governance, while Salaam is presenting the ADC as a third political alternative.
But the decision goes beyond party labels and campaign rallies. Questions around workers’ welfare, pension payments, infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment, agriculture and the management of public finances are likely to remain important as voters assess the candidates.
The competing promises also raise the issue of implementation. The PLSI assessment of candidates’ policy commitments found gaps around costing, financing, timelines and measurable indicators. That gives voters another basis for assessing the promises made during the campaign: not only what candidates intend to do, but how they intend to do it.
Political alliances and endorsements may influence the contest, but they cannot determine the outcome on their own. The final decision rests with voters and how they weigh the candidates’ records, proposals, political affiliations and capacity to govern.
The election will therefore test more than the popularity of individual candidates. It will test whether Osun voters prefer continuity, a change in direction or a third political option.
On August 15, the campaigns will give way to the ballot, and voters will determine which of those competing visions they believe offers the better path for Osun.
Share this
