Pelumi Olajengbesi, convener of the Imole Grassroots Mobilisation Network, has expressed confidence that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will secure a second term in the 2026 governorship election.
In a statement issued Sunday, Olajengbesi said current political indicators show that Adeleke remains the preferred choice of Osun residents, and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks a candidate capable of mounting a serious challenge.
“At last, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the date for Osun State Governorship Election and scheduled it for August 8, 2026,” he noted. “As it is often said, politics is about numbers and the numbers at the moment speak for themselves.”
Olajengbesi, who is eyeing the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, highlighted the PDP’s dominance across political offices in the state.
“It is a known fact that all the three serving senators in the state are PDP members. Also, eight of the nine serving members of the House of Representatives are PDP members. What about the House of Assembly and the local government chairmen? They are overwhelmingly PDP members with political weight in their various bases.”
He emphasised that the grassroots support for Adeleke and the PDP remains strong, recalling the 2022 election when Adeleke defeated then-incumbent APC governor Gboyega Oyetola despite the party’s federal backing.
“Politics is local and the people of Osun State have spoken loud and clear of their support of the PDP in the state and their love and support for Governor Ademola Adeleke,” he said. “It is this same overwhelming love and support that they demonstrated in 2022 when they voted massively for Adeleke of the PDP to defeat the incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the APC despite his supposed federal might.”
He said the APC’s loss in 2022, despite being in power, reflected a longstanding vote of no confidence by the people of Osun.
“A party that lost despite having the power of incumbency in 2022 should know the people of the state passed a vote of no confidence on it long ago and should not even bother trying to contest in the 2026 election but it is the constitutional right of anyone who chooses to go into the rings.”
Olajengbesi added that no known APC figure, whether Gboyega Oyetola, Bola Oyebamiji, Ajibola Bashiru or others, commands the popularity or influence needed to unseat Adeleke.
“At the moment, I see no formidable aspirant known by Osun people that the APC can field to challenge Adeleke in next year’s poll. Whether it is Oyetola or Bola Oyebamiji or Ajibola Bashiru, or any other person, I see no formidable aspirant to command the kind of love and support the people of Osun State have for Adeleke.”
He also pointed to the governor’s track record, saying, “Beyond the love and admiration that the governor enjoy from the people, his many transformational projects and visionary leadership have been impactful as attested to by millions of residents in the state.”
