By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo
The lingering debate over the zoning the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Osun State has intensified, as youth leaders from different local governments engage in a heated arguments over whether the party’s 2026 candidate should emerge from Osun West Senatorial District, or not.
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 over 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.“It is not the West that constitutes the whole of Osun State; we have Osun West, Osun East, and Osun Central,” he said. “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.
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 organisers misled participants about the meeting’s purpose and later released a document containing names and signatures that were not genuinely appended.
He said the alleged forgery had caused disunity among the youths of the APC in Osun West and urged party elders to wade in to prevent further escalation.
In a sharp rebuttal, the Osun West Senatorial 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.
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.
The zoning debate, though not new to Osun politics, has reemerged with renewed vigour 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.