A former lawmaker representing Obokun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has said the party must record victory in the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun State governorship polls to be in good standing for the 2027 general election.

Oyintiloye made this known in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, Osun State.

The Osun APC chieftain noted that the Ekiti and Osun 2026 governorship elections would serve as a good test for the party’s preparedness for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 reelection bid.

He said a victory for APC will enable it to approach the 2027 poll with the needed seriousness, and further confirm Tinubu’s “impending victory in the 2027 elections.”

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He subsequently charged APC members to remain united and work together to secure victory in the two states, adding that winning the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls, “will put a seal of authority on the dominance of the APC in the country’s political space.”

He said, “The Ekiti and Osun elections will serve as a litmus test for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections in the country.

“The two are very crucial for the APC because they will be conducted a few months before the general elections. The party must win the two states.

“Victories for the APC in the two states will boost the party’s confidence and solidify its supremacy in the political landscape of the country.”

He made specific reference to the Osun governorship election, saying, “It is peculiar because the APC aims to unseat the incumbent governor, a task the party is ready for.”

Predicting a victory for Osun APC in the election, Oyintiloye said, “We are confident of victory because the leaders of the party in the state, national leader, Chief Bisi Akande, the Osun State leader and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and the state party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, among others, are working tirelessly for the APC’s victory.

“The task has become easier with the choice of our candidate, Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji, who is a capable, reliable, dependable and acceptable to all APC members and others in the state.”

He appealed to the aggrieved APC members to set aside their grievances, rededicate to party supremacy, and work for a victorious outing for Oyebamiji.

The PUNCH reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission announced new dates for the Osun governorship elections.

The Ekiti State governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, July 20, while the Osun election will hold on Saturday, August 15, following a slight adjustment from the initial dates.

14 political parties have already been cleared for the Osun governorship poll.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election on the platform of Accord, while ex Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, is contesting the poll on the platform of APC.

A former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Dr Najeem Salaam, is running on the platform of the African Democratic Congress.