Osun 2026: Ex-deputy governor Alabi joins race, denies Oyetola anointed candidate
Osun 2026: Ex-deputy governor Alabi joins race, denies Oyetola anointed candidate
Former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Benedict Adegboyega Alabi, has declared his intention to contest the August 8, 2026 governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing claims that former Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has endorsed a candidate.
Speaking at a media parley in his Osogbo residence, Alabi, who hails from Ikire in Irewole Local Government Area, described reports that Oyetola had a preferred aspirant as mere “street talk.”
He said: “That the former Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has a preferred candidate, I call it insinuation. In politics, there is what we call body language and projections, and that is what is being misinterpreted. If you listened to him when he said he was no longer contesting for governorship, he wished all aspirants success. Saying someone is his preferred candidate is nothing but street talk.”
Alabi emphasised that he was relying on his own political structure. “I built my structure, I nurtured my structure, and I’m still keeping my structure. I see myself more as a unifier because if I get the ticket of the party, every group will rally to ensure APC’s victory at the polls,” he stated.
He lamented what he described as disarray in the state, citing poor investment in education and rising unemployment. He also faulted the dismissal of 1,500 teachers without replacement, saying the action had set education back by three years.
Highlighting his experience as a former aspirant, deputy governor, and acting governor, Alabi said he was well-prepared for governance. “If you are 25 years in a hospital as a nurse, it doesn’t make you a doctor. But if you are one day a doctor, you are always a doctor,” he remarked.
The ex-deputy governor added that his 2018 blueprint for the state remained relevant, particularly his proposals on internally generated revenue, stressing that Osun is richly endowed with resources to sustain itself.
“I am a man of myself and a man of vision who knows what he wants to do. I am telling you today that I, Benedict Adegboyega Alabi, am contesting for the governorship ticket of the APC to represent our party in the 2026 election,” he declared.
