Let’s not deceive ourselves. When August 15 comes around, we aren’t just going to the polls to thumbprint a ballot and go home to celebrate with jollof rice. For those of us living in Osun, this 2026 election is about survival, plain and simple. We’ve spent the last few years clapping and cheering for a “dancing” style of politics that has left our state’s coffers thin and our roads dusty. The question is: are we going to keep the party going while the house is on fire, or are we ready to put a real administrator in Abere?
Looking at the APC today, it’s clear the party has finally woken up. Since the December primaries, the momentum behind Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, our own AMBO, has grown into a movement.
For too long, leadership here has been reduced to a social media contest. Everywhere you look, it is TikTok clips and cameras. But where is the actual work? It is commonsensical that Osun State’s economy cannot be fixed with “likes” and vibes. We are at a breaking point. We need a technician, someone who knows how to open the ledger, examine the debt profile, and find a way out without running to borrow more money every week. That is AMBO’s specialty.
Day in, day out, we talk about being Omoluabi, but what does that mean if we value entertainment over competence? People only stay distracted by a show for so long before they realize their pockets are empty. Right now in Osun, the much-preached virtue of Omoluabi must come to the forefront of public discourse. The Omoluabi ethos demands maturity from political gladiators and respect for public institutions such as the courts and law enforcement agencies.
Interestingly, while the current administration is busy with spectacle, AMBO is bringing substance. He is not guessing. As a two-term Commissioner for Finance, Oyebamiji is the only one who truly understands the mathematics of this state. He confronted the debt profile when others were looking away. Under the Gboyega Oyetola-led administration, his strict financial oversight ensured Osun met the rigorous criteria for the World Bank State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability programme. That achievement earned the state a significant grant alongside 24 other states, a crucial lifeline that enabled the government to pay full salaries and pensions promptly despite biting economic hardship.
AMBO understands that one cannot build a house on sand. His brand of politics is not a fancy public relations theory; it is about the quiet dignity of getting things done. While some are interested only in sharing “stomach infrastructure” that lasts a day, Oyebamiji wants to build a system where an Osun man can stand on his own two feet.
Even our elders speak of Aarin-Gungun, the middle path. Abiodun Komolafe captured it well in one of his interventions: we need thinking innovators, not just political deal-makers. Consider what Oyebamiji has done at the National Inland Waterways Authority. He took a sleeping agency and turned it into a wealth creator. He did it not with noise, but with discipline and foresight. He understands how to convert dormant assets into revenue. That is the financial skill Osun needs so it can stop depending solely on FAAC allocations from Abuja.
This 2026 race is not merely about party lines; it is about whether we want to keep borrowing to survive. The winner should not be the best dancer but the man who can look a civil servant or a young graduate in the eye and assure them their future is secure. AMBO knows how to attract genuine investment, not just memoranda of understanding that end up as waste paper.
The APC in Osun learned a bitter lesson in 2022. The rallying of the party around AMBO now suggests that the era of infighting is over and that the Osun APC stands united. Practically speaking, having a governor who is a trusted long-term associate of Bola Ahmed Tinubu could prove to be a game changer. It would mean Osun no longer operates like an orphan state and that federal support for farmers and infrastructure can flow more effectively to the people.
As August 15 draws nearer, the drums will grow louder. But we must not allow the music to cloud our judgment. At a time like this, we must ask ourselves whether we desire a twenty-year prosperity plan or another season of dancing around problems. Without doubt, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji presents himself as the architect many believe Osun needs. He positions himself as the bridge to the Osun of our aspirations.
When the final vote is counted, the candidate who offers real wealth rather than spectacle will prevail. For his supporters, that man is AMBO. It is time to return to serious work. Our children are watching.
● Oludare Ayodele wrote from Okuku, Osun State.
