From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Former Deputy Governor of Osun State Benedict Alabi has declared his intention to contest the 2026 governorship election in the state under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Wednesday, August 27, Alabi said the insinuation that the former governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has anointed a candidate is a “mere rumour”.
“The claim that former governor Oyetola has a preferred candidate and that he anointed Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji is an insinuation.
“If you listen to him when he declared that he is no longer contesting for governorship in Osun State, he said he wished all aspirants success.
“There is no doubt that Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji is close to the minister, being his commissioner for finance while in office; that could not be taken to be an endorsement. So, it is not true, and it is street talk that he has a preferred candidate.
“I know that former governor Adegboyega Oyetola has no preferred candidate. I’ve been with him. I know he is a man of his word. He has said that he has no preferred candidate, and I believe him. So, the issue of whether he has a preferred candidate or not does not come into play,” Alabi said.
Noting that the experience he possesses sets him apart from other aspirants, Alabi said the ability to correct the current mistakes is required of a person who will represent the All Progressives Congress (APC), and he possesses that ability.
He lamented the state of education in the state, saying that the government sacked over 1,500 teachers employed by the past administration because of politics, without replacement to date.
He said, “Today, I can state authoritatively that Osun is in disarray. No investment in education, no matter how small. The state government sacked 1,500 teachers without replacement because of politics. Unemployment continues to increase.”
He promised to concentrate on agriculture, health, and infrastructure, particularly in local areas, saying that people at the grassroots are lacking good roads as a result of concentration on the capital city by the government.
