A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Honourable Bukola Ojuade has urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field a credible candidate ahead of the 2026 governorship election in Osun State to avoid the mistakes of 2022.
In an interview with NewsDirect, Ojuade said that for APC to go into 2026 governorship poll, there is need for the party to present a credible and formidable candidate to slug it out with the incumbent governor who is seeking a second term in office.
He said, a credible primary election would produce a sellable candidate to the electorate, adding that the party is going into the poll as opposition, and there is need to get it right and put its house in order and go to the poll as indivisible family devoid of acrimony and wrangling.
Ojuade described credible primary elections as panacea to acceptable candidates.
He stressed that APC needs to get it right before going to election, emphasizing that the party cannot afford to go to poll with a divided house. He added that the chance of APC is bright if the party can mend fences against the party.
The former Abuja councilor noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke can be dislodged if the party prepared well. He stressed that the governor’s performance is not enough to guarantee him victory in the 2026 governorship election.
“APC does not depend on using federal power to secure victory in the 2026 poll because you cannot win an election where you are not popular. Election depends on grassroot appeal and popularity among the electorate.
“Only a popular candidate can easily win an election where free and fair polls are conducted by an electoral empire. Some people should desist from imposing a candidate on the party if attempted may have consequences on the party.
“We don’t want the experience of the 2022 governorship poll where we lost the election to the then opposition PDP. There should be transparency in the affairs of the party and allow members to have a sense of belonging,” Ojuade declared.
Speaking on governor Adeleke’s relationship with the federal government, the APC stalwart said, “As a governor who means well for his people, he should relate well with the federal government. He added that president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a father to all as everybody is free to relate with him.
“The governor has the right as others to visit the president at any time because the president is accommodating, irrespective of the party affiliation. What he is after in every section of the country is development. The president does not involve in affairs of any state irrespective of the party.”
Ojuade also hailed president Bola Ahmad Tinubu for the ongoing reforms in the economic, banking, infrastructure, agriculture and security sectors which have been yielding positive results.
He added that people need to endure as they have been doing to be able to have a better nation of our own.
He further praised the effort of the State chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal for taking the party to the next level.
