APGA candidate withdraws from Osun election, backs APC’s Oyebamiji

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The governorship race in Osun State has narrowed further ahead of the 15 August election after the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Adesina Adeyemi-Doro, withdrew from the contest and endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

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Punch reported that Mr Adeyemi-Doro announced his decision on Saturday during a programme tagged ‘Osun Youth Interactive Session with Oyebamiji’ organised by the APC Campaign Council in Osogbo

The APGA candidate said his decision followed consultations with the leadership and members of his party across the state. He added that consultations resulted in an agreement to support Mr Oyebamiji’s candidacy, describing the decision as an alignment among progressives.

“I am here today to declare publicly to the good people of Osun State our allegiance, support, and collaboration as we join His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, and the All Progressives Congress, APC,” Mr Adeyemi-Doro said.

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“I have been watching the candidates closely, and after wide consultations with my state chairman, secretary, and other senior members of the party, we have reached an alignment. At the end of the day, we are all progressives.”

He said the alliance was intended to support Mr Oyebamiji’s bid to become the next governor of the state.

“We look forward to a situation where, by the special grace of God, we will deliver Osun State to our governor, Oyebamiji,” he said.

The development gives the APC candidate the backing of another political party’s candidate just about a week before voters the governorship election in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke is a candidate.

Mr Oyebamiji welcomed the endorsement and said his campaign would continue to seek support from candidates and political groups outside the APC.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate this, and I want to assure you that we will work together to rescue Osun State from the current bad government,” he said. “Your people will be taken care of.”

He added that his campaign would approach other political parties in an effort to build a broader coalition ahead of the election.

“I am glad about this development, and we will also reach out to other parties so that we can join hands together to build a greater Osun State,” he said.

APGA candidate’s exit adds to late-election realignment

Mr Adeyemi-Doro’s withdrawal, coming so close to the election, is unlikely to have any impact on list of candidates on the ballot on the election day..

The window for withdrawal of nominations for the election has officially closed and by now, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to have printed the ballot papers with the names of all duly nominated candidates.

Yet his decision to withdraw from the race comes at a critical stage of the election, with political parties entering the final phase of their campaigns and 14 candidates cleared by the INEC to contest the poll.

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Although his withdrawal does not automatically transfer the votes of APGA supporters to the APC, the endorsement gives Mr Oyebamiji an additional political platform and potentially expands his coalition ahead of Saturday’s election.

The APGA candidate said the decision was reached through internal consultations rather than a unilateral decision.

The event at which Mr Adeyemi-Doro made the declaration was organised by the APC Campaign Council’s Directorate of Youth, Students and Civil Society to allow young people to question Mr Oyebamiji about his plans for education, employment, entrepreneurship and community development.

The directorate’s chairman, Ayodele Asalu, said the engagement was intended to allow voters, including those outside the APC, to assess the candidate’s proposals before making their choices.

“They want to know what your administration proposes to do about education and employment,” Mr Asalu said.

“They want to understand the opportunities that will exist for entrepreneurs, artisans and professionals. They want to know how communities will benefit from development and how young people will participate in making the decisions that affect them,” he added.

He urged participants to evaluate the candidates based on their plans and policies rather than party affiliation.

Adesina Adeyemi-Doro, Osun APGA guber candidate. Credit: Punch