Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), has pulled out of the party’s governorship contest ahead of the 2026 election in Osun state.
Gatekeepers News reports that je made the announcement on Saturday in Osogbo during the opening of Alubarika House, the headquarters of his political group.
Basiru, who had been consulting party leaders across wards and local governments, said he reached the decision after evaluating his current workload and speaking with key stakeholders.
He said, “Considering the enormous responsibilities of my current office as national secretary of our great party and after due consultations with our esteemed leaders and stakeholders, particularly, the leader of our party and president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it has become necessary to emphatically state that I shall not be contesting the 2026 Osun state governorship election.”
He stressed that withdrawing from the race “does not signify a withdrawal from our shared progressive visions in any way”, noting that it instead strengthens his resolve to work with APC leaders, members of the Alubarika Movement, and political actors in Osun and across Nigeria to mentor and support upcoming leaders.’
He added that the newly inaugurated Alubarika House will function as a hub for meetings and empowerment initiatives, and pledged N50 million as a take-off fund for planned programmes.
Basiru said his national duties, which involve fortifying the party’s structure and preparing for the 2027 general election, require his full attention. He added that the movement will work with “vigour” to back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027.
He expressed confidence in the APC’s strength, insisting that the party remains “too formidable for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government” ahead of the 2026 poll.
Thirteen aspirants are still seeking the APC ticket, including Bola Oyebamiji, Babajide Omoworare, Iyiola Omisore, Dotun Babayemi, Benedict Alabi, Akin Ogunbiyi, and Kunle Adegoke.
