Osun 2026: Beyond the Dance, a Return to Omoluabi Essence

Fatima I. Abubakre

In Africa, especially Nigeria, populist representation is mostly a sophisticated  illusion. In this political sphere, leaders invoke ‘the people’ not to genuinely transfer power or wealth to them, but as a rhetorical shield to consolidate their own power. Nowhere is this phenomenon more visible today than in Osun State where we are witnessing a version of populism that lacks even the basic intellectual rigour of traditional populism. Osun, the land of the ‘Living Spring,’ is a place where the virtues of the Omoluabi character, integrity, and intellectual depth are more than buzzwords. They are the foundation of our society, the very fabric of our social contract. We are the descendants of a civilisation that values substance over shadow, and the ‘serious-mindedness’ of the Osun person is a trait recognized from the bustling markets of Osogbo to the academic corridors of Ife.

But as we move closer to the August 8, 2026 gubernatorial election in Osun, we find ourselves at a crossroads that tests our very identity. For nearly four years, we have seen governance that feels more like more like a traveling circus than a developmental mission. The ‘dance-and-deliver’ philosophy is more about optics than maths. Joy is fine, but governing a state is a somber, sacred duty that requires more than episodic handouts. Our foremost political patriarch, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, did not build the then Western Region on a diet of populist spectacles. He built it on a foundation of  fiscal discipline, human capital investment and rigorous planning. He understood that a leader’s job is not to entertain the people, but to empower them.

The current administration in Osun State has gotten a historic windfall from subsidy removal and floating of the naira. In the last few years, it got more money from the federal government than any previous government in Osun. But what do we see on the ground? A few flyovers in the capital just to distract the eye, while the real resources of the state are being managed in secrecy. Getting more allocations and doing less with them is not performance for a state with our level of poverty and infrastructure deficit. It is a breach of Omoluabi trust and Osun cannot afford to continue with this diet of crumbs.

It is for this reason that the candidacy of Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) is not just a political alternative,  but a moral one. Having navigated the  complexities of both the private sector and high-level government offices, Oyebamiji speaks the language of the accountant, just like Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There must be a destination for every kobo and there must be a multiplier effect for every project.  That is the AMBO philosophy. It is not fair to have our resources ‘vanish’ into vague administrative costs while our rural roads remain death traps. AMBO represents a return to the Awoist tradition of using the intellect to solve the problems of the belly. Rather than to dance for the Osun people, he is coming to work for them.

Aside from the local economy, we need to address the ‘Elephant in the Room’, which is Osun State current political isolation. In 2023, through a series of tactical errors, Osun found itself as an outlier in the South-west. With the incumbent’s recent shift to a fringe platform like the Accord Party, that isolation has only worsened. We cannot afford to be the ‘odd man out’ when we have President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, steering the ship of the nation toward 2027. Our state needs to be part of the mainstream. We need a Governor who can sit at the table of the Federal Executive Council not as an antagonist or an outsider, but as a strategic partner for Osun to thrive.

The  August 15, 2026 election is, therefore, much more than a choice between two men; it is a referendum on the Yoruba voice. It is a test of whether we, the people of Osun, have the foresight to protect our regional interest. Yoruba nationalism is not about isolation, it is about collective , organised strength. With AMBO, we are not just voting for a governor; we are making a security deposit for 2027 presidential election. In other words, we are saying that the South-west is one, undivided, and focused on progress.

It is time to end the era of ‘episodic handouts.’ There is no point having a governor who gives a ‘fish’ today, only to steal the net tomorrow. The governor we want will build the pond, stock it with fish, and give our youths the tools to catch them. Osun people are too brilliant to be bought with tokens. We are too dignified to be distracted by a dance. It is time to return to the path of the Omoluabi. It is time for accountability. It is time for AMBO.

•Dr. Abubakre, a member of the Professor Razaq Deremi Abubakre Development Initiative, writes from Iwo, Osun State