By John Dike, Osogbo
As the lingering dispute over the zoning of the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Osun State intensifies, youth leaders across the state have engaged in hit exchanges over whether the party’s 2026 candidate should emerge from Osun West Senatorial District.
The controversy, which has sharply divided the party’s youth wing, stems from allegations that some youth leaders from Osun West forged signatures on a document purportedly calling for the governorship ticket to be zoned to their district.
While some leaders insist the move was transparent and democratically agreed upon, others claim their names were fraudulently attached to the resolution without consent.
Hon. Amos Adediran Amindiya, the APC Youth Leader from Olaoluwa Local Government, strongly refuted reports that Osun West youth leaders had collectively endorsed zoning the governorship ticket to their zone.
Speaking in Osogbo at the weekend, Amindiya said the current debate distracts from the party’s real challenge identifying the most competent candidate capable of leading Osun to greater development.
According to him, leadership selection should not be reduced to regional bargaining.
His words, “It is not the West that constitutes the whole of Osun State; we have Osun West, Osun East, and Osun Central.
“In 2018, I was one of those who first agitated that the APC should always field its best candidate. Then, Governor Oyetola emerged because of his capacity and track record, and we stood by him. That should remain our guiding principle.”
Amindiya further noted that Osun West has already produced two governors since the state’s creation in 1991, compared to three from Osun Central and only one from Osun East. He stressed that the next flagbearer should emerge through merit rather than sentimental appeals to fairness.
“We cannot continue to rotate power for its own sake. What the people want is performance, not geography,” he added.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Idris Aderigbigbe, the APC Youth Leader of Ward 10 in Isokan Local Government, distanced himself and several of his colleagues from a meeting allegedly convened to push the zoning agenda.
He alleged that the organizers misled participants about the meeting’s purpose and later released a document containing names and signatures that were not genuinely appended.
His words, “Some of us were invited for what we thought was a general consultation, only to later discover that our names had been used to endorse a position we never discussed.
“Many who didn’t attend the meeting at all saw their names in the publication. That is dishonest and uncalled for.”
He said the alleged forgery had caused disunity among the youth ranks of the APC in Osun West and urged party elders to wade in to prevent further escalation.
“As youths, we should be working for unity, not division. What happened is capable of breeding distrust within our structures,” he warned.
In a sharp rebuttal, the Osun West Senatorial District’s Youth Leader, Hon. Imran Mojeed, dismissed the allegations of forgery as baseless, insisting that the meeting where the zoning resolution was reached was both legitimate and transparent.
Mojeed claimed that only a handful of youth leaders opposed the zoning arrangement and accused them of attempting to manipulate others with monetary inducements.
He said, “Those opposing our position are just two LCDA youth leaders who tried to use money to sway others.
“We never forged any signatures. The meeting was convened with the full knowledge of our APC Senator, Hon. Gbenga Omolaoye, and everything was recorded on video.”
According to Mojeed, the demand for zoning the governorship ticket to Osun West is rooted in the principle of fairness and equity.
He explained that since Osun West has had fewer opportunities in the state’s political history, it is only fair that the APC considers producing its next governor from the district.
“This is not about any individual’s ambition,” he clarified.
He said, “We are simply appealing to the party’s leadership and even to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider zoning the ticket to Osun West for the sake of balance and justice within the progressive family.”
The zoning debate, though not new to Osun politics, has reemerged with renewed vigor as the APC begins internal consultations ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
Within the party, opinions remain sharply divided. While some stakeholders see zoning as a tool for fairness and inclusion, others view it as a stumbling block to merit-based leadership selection.
Political observers note that the Osun West agitation has historical roots. The zone, which last produced a governor in 2010 when Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was in office (before his removal by the court), believes it has been marginalized in recent power distributions.
The Central zone, represented by former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, and the East, represented by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke (PDP), have alternated leadership in recent years.
An APC chieftain, who preferred anonymity, described the current youth clash as “a reflection of a larger struggle within the party.”
He said, “The youth are only echoing what the elders are discussing behind closed doors.
“The battle for zoning is also a battle for influence in the run-up to the primaries.”
As Osun APC prepares for the next election cycle, the zoning issue is likely to remain a defining factor in the internal politics of the party.
With potential aspirants quietly building structures across the state, youth leaders — often seen as the grassroots mobilizers — are expected to play a crucial role in determining the eventual direction of the ticket.
While some members insist that zoning could strengthen unity and restore balance, others warn that it might deepen divisions and sideline competent contenders.
For now, the party leadership in Osun has yet to make any official pronouncement on zoning, leaving the debate wide open.
Observers believe that how the APC resolves this internal disagreement could determine not only its cohesion but also its chances of reclaiming power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
