The immediate past Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, on Saturday emerged as the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming Osun State election.
Oyebamiji’s emergence followed a motion moved by two governorship aspirants, Kunle Adegoke (SAN) and Senator Babajide Omoworare, during the party’s primary election held at the Ebunoluwa Group of Schools in Osogbo.
The chairman of the APC governorship primary committee and Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, put the motion to a voice vote, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by party members at the venue.
Okpebholo subsequently declared Oyebamiji as the party’s flagbearer, saying: “By the power conferred on me, I present to you Bola Oyebamiji as the governorship candidate of our party.”
Earlier, Okpebholo had disclosed that the candidate would emerge by affirmation when he arrived at the primary venue alongside the committee’s co-chairman, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, and other members, including Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, representing the Lagos State governor, and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello.
The Telegraph had earlier reported that the primary began in Osogbo with the arrival of the committee members.
Ahead of the exercise, 1,660 delegates eligible to participate in the APC’s December 13 governorship primary were confirmed on Tuesday.
There were also indications that the seven APC governorship aspirants in the state agreed to step down in favour of a consensus candidate following a late-night meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who was among the aspirants disqualified by the party’s screening committee over alleged violations of party guidelines and electoral provisions, publicly endorsed the consensus arrangement.
Speaking on Politics Tonight on TVC News on Wednesday, Omisore said he accepted the decision in line with guidance from President Tinubu and in the interest of party unity ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
