In recent days, a memo circulated by Ismail Omipidan attempted to frame the path to victory for the Osun APC through what he called the “Edo template.” His argument, anchored heavily on zoning and the political gains recorded in the last Edo governorship election, presents a neat narrative but one that collapses quickly when scrutinized against the political realities of Osun State.
A careful reading of his submission shows a consistent attempt to push Osun APC away from its strongest electoral asset, while quietly admitting that the same asset remains too politically valuable to be ignored. This contradiction forms the core weakness of the memo.
Omipidan insists that zoning will be the magic wand for APC in 2026, pointing to Edo State where both the PDP and APC fielded candidates from Edo Central. But Edo’s victory did not come because of zoning alone. It came because the APC produced a candidate who possessed structure, experience, and cross-district acceptance. Zoning merely aligned with what was already a strong political choice.
Transplanting that logic into Osun without recognising the differences is politically misleading. Osun politics is not driven solely by zoning calculations. It is driven by personality strength, grassroots networks, alliances built over decades, and candidates with proven electoral stamina. A party locked out of power cannot afford to gamble on sentiment; it must prioritise a candidate who can win across the entire state.
This is where the memo’s weakness becomes glaring. While emphasising zoning, Omipidan still concedes almost reluctantly that Otunba Senator Iyiola Omisore “must not be ignored” and that the party should “make genuine overtures to him.” That admission says far more than the rest of his argument. It reveals, inadvertently, the irreplaceable centrality of Omisore in the coming election.
A politician who “must not be ignored” is not a peripheral figure. He is a power broker. He is a stabiliser. He is an electoral force. And in Osun APC today, no one embodies these attributes more than Omisore.
Omisore is not a sectional politician. His influence is not limited to Osun
East where he hails from. His political structure extends to Osun West and Osun Central through deep-rooted alliances that have survived administrations and political shifts. He commands respect in Ife, credibility in Ijesa, penetration in Osogbo and Olorunda, strong relationships in Ikirun, Ila, Ikire, Iwo and Ejigbo, and a network that has consistently proven its relevance in moments of political crisis and coalition.Beyond geographic spread, the 2026 election will be a contest against an incumbent governor with name recognition, financial backing, institutional influence, and a party machinery ready for battle. To challenge such a setup, APC cannot afford experimentation. The party needs a candidate with equal or superior political weight someone who can unify the party, absorb internal tensions, mobilise independent blocs, and mount a statewide campaign that resonates from ward to ward.
Omisore fits that role better than any other aspirant in the party today. His political experience, national visibility, long-standing alliances, and established record of negotiation and bridge-building give him an advantage no zoning argument can erase. He does not need to spend the first half of the campaign introducing himself to voters; his name is already embedded in the political consciousness of Osun State.
The truth that Omipidan’s memo attempts to sidestep is that zoning without capacity is a losing strategy. Zoning without a candidate who can unify a fractured house is an invitation to defeat. Zoning without statewide acceptability is a political trap. APC’s path to victory lies in choosing a candidate who combines strength, experience, networks and genuine electoral capacity.
Every election since 1999 has shown that Osun voters respond to credible personalities far more than geographic arguments. And at this moment, the personality with the widest acceptance, the strongest structure, and the clearest road to victory is Otunba Senator Iyiola Omisore.
This is the point Omipidan’s memo missed. And this is the point the APC must not miss if it truly intends to reclaim Osun in 2026.
✍️ Afolabi Oduayo Peter
For OmisoreMediaTeam2026
