Insurance guru, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, is again in the Osun State governorship race. He will be fighting for the APC ticket during its primary in a few months’ time. Ibrahim Adam reports.
HE has done it twice, and on both occasions, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi was not elected governor of Osun State. He is undeterred. He believes that it is just a matter of time before he becomes the helmsman of the State of Living Spring. Ogunbiyi’s faith springs from his passion and love for the state which vast potential and mineral resources, he says, are not being properly tapped.
So, Ogunbiyi wants to try his luck again. He has started preparing for the 2026 Osun State governorship election. But first, he knows he has to clear the primary hurdles of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). To the insurance magnate, winning the shadow election is like crossing the rubicon. “Once we get the ticket, we are as good as winning the election”, Ogunbiyi says. “We”? Why, the pronoun, we? He says he sees himself as a team player. “Working in a collective has always been my thing”, Ogunbiyi added.
“Becoming a governor will not remove anything from who l am. I will remain myself. The only difference will be the title of governor, which is a temporary office. People who are around me and work with me will always be there. They are the we, the team, with which I have been doing great things. I am the team leader, and as governor, I shall remain the team leader. And together, we shall take Osun to greater heights”, he said.
As a man who has attained great heights through hard work, Ogunbiyi sees the potential in Osun and he is pained that the state is where it is today.
“Osun should have grown beyond being a civil service state. It should by now have become an enterprising state. A state where investors rush to, to put their money. We have everything we need for a state to grow and develop. I cannot stay and watch the way things are going because it is our state, my state. I have to do something for Osun to take its pride of place among the states. It can no longer be run as a state for civil servants, teachers and peasant farmers. Osun is much more than that”, Ogunbiyi said.
He went on: “Imagine, Osun was created 34 years ago. It is still a civil service state despite the existence of enormous resources to grow the state. The bulk of the agricultural and other resources used to develop the defunct western region by Awo came from Osun and these resources are still there. All Osun needs is an entrepreneurial governor that can change the dynamics and turn things around”. Ogunbiyi describes himself as the dynamic leader the state needs to become enterprising, forward looking and progressive.
“My ingenuity is in solving problems, no matter how difficult, through smart and inventive methods. A glorious career, grand transformation achievements and renaissance are only made possible through quality education. Education guarantees value-adding freedom that leads to other freedoms. Education lights the fire and flame of adaptive leadership. It is the lifeblood of breakthroughs, momentum, purpose, energy, creativity and innovation.
“I will unlock the human capacity of Osun citizens and revive hope for development and growth. I will light the fire of industrialisation, mechanised farming, and mining. We will transparently showcase clear and specific milestones as clear evidence of our never-relenting hard work and dedicated efforts”, Ogunbiyi said.
He refers to the masterplan of the Osun Development Association (ODA) for the state, explaining that successive administrations did not make use of it. The vision for the state’s growth is outlined in the ODA masterplan. “This is unfortunate. I have actively served in our beloved Osun Development Association for over 25 years and I fully understand the dynamics of its vision for development. With its masterplan, I will make Osun work and an investors’ hub. We will get the job done with a competent team, remarkable efficiency, great ideas, collaboration and strategic partnership, with zero display of empty noise, luxury and value-destroying opulence”.
Ogunbiyi says he will resuscitate and revive the hope of Osunlites to be number one in the country. According to him, key performance indicator (KPI) is a major performance metric, but the cost of inaction (COI) is worse than costly mistakes. “Where is Osun State in the scheme of things in Nigeria today? In spite of our enormous natural resources, including a very vibrant populace. We will grow the unskilled, semi-skilled and highly skilled Osunlites and make them productive, competitive and efficient. I epitomise a uniquely ethical, transparent and accountable leadership. We will be highly disciplined and accountable to the people of Osun,” he said.
Ogunbiyi argues that with the money coming into the coffers of Osun now, the government should have done more than it is currently doing. “They are building bridges when they should be touching the lives of the people”. Osun has collected some N400 billion in allocation in the past two years, but there is nothing to show for it, he said. He promised to be bold and courageous in decision making, if elected, just like President Bola Tinubu. He said he has adopted Renewed Hope for Osun 2026 as his campaign slogan, describing it as the winning agenda which gave President Tinubu victory in 2023.
He said he would wrest power from the sitting governor, pointing out that the August 8, 2026 election will be a walkover once he gets the APC ticket. The primary, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable, is scheduled for between November 24 and December 15, this year.
