By Kayode Akanni
As the Osun State gubernatorial election slated for 2026 draws near, the question on the lips of most party members is: Will APC go into the election united or disjointed? Many members worry that the ensuing primary election may further impair the party’s fortune if not handled with tact. The concern is not out of place as the race for the party’s ticket is already brewing internal wrangling among contestants. Many party members are of the view that the defeat suffered by the party in 2022 was the result of the schism in the party. According to them, the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Isiaka Oyetola, lost the election to Senator Ademola Adeleke despite having the power of incumbency, not because of non-performance but principally because the party did not go into the election as one entity as the party splintered into groups. The splinter groups worked against the interest of the party with the result that the party which had been in power for 12 years in the state lost to the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
There are genuine fears that the party may already be toeing the old path as the jostle for the party’s ticket by governorship hopefuls is already pitting party members against one another. While some leaders are trying to downplay this, many members are worried that the fate that befell the party in 2022 may be repeated unless leaders work towards the emergence of a bridge-building candidate who is acceptable to all party members across the state, a candidate who can rally every tendency together and position the party for victory at the polls in 2026.
Many are agreed that the governorship aspirant whose candidature can secure electoral victory for the party in the ensuing electoral contest is Dr Akinade Ogunbiyi.
Ogunbiyi is a consummate businessman and grassroots politician who is passionate about the development of Osun State. He is also a philanthropist whose tentacles spread to every nook and cranny of the State of the Livingspring. Ogunbiyi knows the whole of the state as he knows the back of his hand and identifies with the aspirations of various communities. Having worked with different people from various backgrounds in the state, he is so loved by the grassroots as well as the well-heeled that the mention of his name lights up the faces of people across the state. A man well known and respected by almost all of the people vying for the party’s ticket, Ogunbiyi’s emergence as APC candidate would result in tension simmering and everyone queuing up behind him to achieve the overall vision of wresting the state from the claws of the PDP.
While declaring his interest to fly the flag of APC in the 2026 election, Ogunbiyi said, “I stand as a unifying factor among all the candidates, and I believe that by the special grace of God, if I emerge, they will rally round to support me and the progressives,” Ogunbiyi said.
When asked by journalists what he would do should he fail to get the ticket, he said he would not begrudge anyone but would rather remain committed to the party’s desire to reclaim the state.
Ogunbiyi’s antecedent is the most inspiring among all those angling to get the party’s ticket.
The governorship hopeful believes that with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policy direction, APC is best suited to take the country out of economic woods. He is also of the opinion that unless Osun State aligns with the party at the centre, it may not really experience the much desired development. So, as a loyal party man, he has been working with other members of the party in all the constituencies to improve the lot of the party and increase its chances of winning the governorship election.
A builder of institutions, Ogunbiyi built the Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc from a one-room outfit into a multinational organization that has won accolades from every part of the globe. The company, which he registered in 1995, became a household name within the spate of 10 years. Over time, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc. has evolved into a conglomerate consisting of value-adding companies with diverse interests in various sectors of the Nigerian economy through investments, strategic alliances and partnerships. Some of the subsidiaries are; Mutual Benefits Life Assurance Limited, Mutual Benefits Micro-finance Bank, Mutual Benefits Homes and Properties Limited, Mutual Benefits Assurance Company, Liberia, and Mutual Benefits Assurance Niger SA, Niger. The company is a leading brand in the Nigerian Insurance Industry with over 5000 employees.
A builder of societies and nations, Dr Ogunbiyi has been contributing to the development of Osun State for over two decades. He served as the Osun Development Association Vice Chairman for 18 years. The platform offered him the opportunity of having a profound understanding of what goes on within the state as well as its developmental challenges. Through the ODA, Ogunbiyi has been supporting good and measurable development initiatives geared towards impacting positively on Osun State and its people.
At the national level, Ogunbiyi’s impact on the economy is legendary. Apart from being a towering giant in the insurance industry, he has contributed to the financial sector, the real estate sector, mining sector, transportation sector, oil and gas sector and the agriculture sector. A believer in human capital development, Ogunbiyi has mentored men and women who have become industry giants. And through his weekly column in the Nigerian Tribune he has encouraged industry and promoted entrepreneurship.
At the sub-regional level, Ogunbiyi’s Mutual Benefits Group was instrumental to the rebound of Liberia after the internecine civil war, which spanned almost 10 years.
As put by Ogunbiyi himself, “After the Liberian civil war was over, Mutual Benefits was in the country to help it get back on its feet. We worked with the government to practically rebuild the economy. We worked with the government to resuscitate the transportation sector. We did so many other things. We worked with the government to make the mining sector of the country viable. Today, the country is doing so well. If I could do that for another country, why should I not do more for my state? For me, it is not about ambition but about vision. I know that the state can be better than it is if it has visionary leaders. I am visionary and I can turn around the fortune of the state.”
Talking about his motivation for seeking to govern Osun State, Ogunbiyi said he is motivated by the desire to give the state a fresh start.
His words: “Osun State is too endowed for the people to be poor. Osun has 26 viable mineral resources but over the years, we have had leaders who lacked the capacity and managerial skills to turn these God-given gifts to wealth for the benefits of the citizenry.
“What we shall do is to convert all these resources to wealth for the people. With that, we will not have any reason to wait for allocation from Abuja before we get things done.
“I know how to turn the potentials of Osun State into real wealth. I know how to create wealth. I know how to create value. I am passionate about the state and I want to see it get better and the people to live better.”
He added, “The strength of Osun State is agriculture but there is no motivation for farmers to turn it into big business. We will encourage subsistent farmers and promote mechanized farming. We will set up marketing boards and build additional silos where farm produce could be preserved.
“If I am elected governor, education will become a priority and the state will regain its lost glory in education. We shall provide free healthcare services for children, pregnant women and the aged. We shall retool the civil service and properly motivate the workforce for productivity. Our coming into office will be the beginning of a new era for Osun State.”
It is the considered opinion of many APC stakeholders that with Ogunbiyi’s high level of acceptance by all the tendencies in the party, his popularity among the voting public and the robustness of his plans for the state, the party will be putting its best foot forward by settling for the Ile Ogbo, Osun West-born business and political titan.
•Akanni sent this piece from Oke-Baale, Osogbo
