The battle for the Osun State governorship election assumed a fresh dimension on Tuesday as the All Progressives Congress inaugurated its 276-member National Campaign Council, declaring the poll a “must-win” contest and a crucial test of its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

The APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, said the party would deploy its nationwide political structures, elected officials and grassroots network to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party and reclaim the state for its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

However, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Imole Campaign Council dismissed the APC’s confidence, describing its mobilisation of political heavyweights as a sign of desperation and insisting that the governor’s performance would secure him a second term.

The 276-member APC campaign council is chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma.

Speaking at the inauguration of the council in Abuja, Prof Yilwatda said the council was carefully constituted to mobilise the human and material resources required to ensure victory in the election.

Describing the APC as Nigeria’s most formidable political party in the land, he said it possessed the experience, leadership and nationwide structures needed to win elections at every level.

“No political party can boast of the number of governors, National Assembly members, local government chairmen, councillors, former governors and former National Assembly members that we have. We have them in abundance.

“The APC has all it takes to win elections in Nigeria, from councillorship and local government elections to governorship and presidential elections in 2027,” he said.

Yilwatda described the Osun governorship election as the party’s final electoral outing before the 2027 elections, saying it would serve as a rehearsal for the nationwide campaigns ahead.

“This is our litmus test. It will measure our level of preparedness for 2027. It will be our practice ground and our rehearsal for the political machine we are preparing for the general election.

“That is why winning the Osun election is a must for the APC,” he added

The APC chairman disclosed that the party would embark on intensive person-to-person and house-to-house campaigns across the state, leveraging its elected officials and party structures to mobilise support in every community.

“We will do person-to-person campaigns. We will go house to house. There is no tribe, no language and no resident in Osun, whether indigene or non-indigene, who does not have an APC member that can knock on the door and persuade that person to support us,” he stressed.

He added that governors from across the six geopolitical zones, alongside members of the National Assembly, state lawmakers, local government chairmen and councillors, would participate in the grassroots mobilisation drive.

Yilwatda also said the composition of the campaign council reflected the diversity of Osun State, with particular emphasis on mobilising women and other critical voting blocs.

Speaking on behalf of the campaign council, Uzodimma pledged the commitment of members to deliver victory for the APC and its candidate through peaceful, issue-based campaigns.

He described the inauguration as “a call to service” and urged every party member to see the election as a collective responsibility.

“Our assignment is clear: to listen to the people of Osun State, speak to their hopes and aspirations, earn their confidence and convince them to vote for the APC and our governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.

“Our unity must be our first campaign message because a united party is the strongest foundation for victory,” he said.

Uzodimma said the campaign would highlight the achievements of the APC-led Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and the performance of APC administrations across the country.

He also promised that the campaign would be peaceful and issues-driven.

“We will not be distracted or intimidated by opposition blackmail, misinformation or manufactured outrage on social media.

“We will answer falsehood with facts, propaganda with performance and provocation with peace,” he pledged.

The governorship candidate, Oyebamiji, said the party had intensified grassroots consultations across Osun State, engaging traditional rulers, market leaders, youths, students, artisans, professionals, women and religious leaders.

According to him, the feedback from residents had strengthened the party’s confidence ahead of the election.

“Across these engagements, one message has been consistent and clear: the people of Osun State can no longer afford another day of the current administration beyond November 27, 2026.

“With less than two weeks to the election, I am delighted to report that our prosperity message has been received with uncommon excitement.

“Osun is ready to return to the path of progressive governance, responsible leadership and sustainable development,” he said.

Oyebamiji said the APC’s support base continued to expand across the state’s three senatorial districts, nine federal constituencies, 30 local government areas, 332 political wards and 3,762 polling units.

He expressed optimism that the party would reclaim the governorship through lawful and democratic means.

The inauguration was attended by APC pioneer national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; former national secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; and other senior party leaders.

Reacting to the take-over plan, the Imole Campaign Council dismissed the APC’s boast, declaring that no amount of political heavyweights deployed by the ruling party would stop Adeleke from securing a second term.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Bamidele Salam, the Imole Campaign Council said the APC national chairman’s confidence reflected political arrogance and a poor understanding of the realities on the ground in Osun State.

The council particularly faulted Yilwatda’s comparison of the APC’s political strength to “a trailer” confronting a “Keke NAPEP,” insisting that elections are decided by voters and not by the number of political officeholders a party can assemble.

“The people of Osun State are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future.

“The electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power.

“The APC national chairman may have assembled what he calls a political trailer, but he should understand that the people of Osun State are not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders.

“They are the owners of the mandate, and they alone will determine who governs them,” the statement read.

According to the council, the forthcoming governorship election would be determined by the record of Adeleke’s administration rather than the political influence of leaders drafted into the APC campaign from outside the state.

“The August 15 election will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke NAPEP. It will be a contest between a performing governor who has earned the confidence of his people and an APC candidate who is struggling to gain acceptance among the electorate.

“The reality on the ground is that Governor Ademola Adeleke enjoys tremendous goodwill among the people of Osun State because of the visible achievements of his administration.

“His record in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, water supply, agriculture, youth empowerment and other critical sectors speaks directly to the people,” Salam said.

The campaign council also questioned the popularity of the APC governorship candidate, arguing that the ruling party’s decision to rely on national political figures for its campaign underscored the candidate’s inability to mobilise voters independently.

“The APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, is obviously weak and unpopular.

“The decision of the APC to rely heavily on political figures from outside Osun is an indication of its candidate’s inability to independently mobilise the people.

“Rather than boasting about the number of governors and National Assembly members being deployed to Osun, the APC should tell the people what its candidate has to offer.

“The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors,” the statement further read.

The council urged the APC to conduct an issue-based campaign and respect the intelligence of the Osun electorate instead of relying on what it described as political grandstanding.

“We urge the APC to respect the intelligence of the Osun electorate and focus its campaign on issues and credible alternatives rather than relying on boasts about political structures and external mobilisation,” the campaign council said.