Ex-lawmaker joins Osun APC governorship race

A former lawmaker representing Ifelodun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Mulikat Abiola, has joined the race for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket ahead of the August 8, 2026, election.

The APC has fixed its governorship primary for December 13, and no fewer than seven aspirants have so far obtained the party’s nomination forms.

Already in the race are political heavyweights, including former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore; former Deputy Governor, Mr Benedict Alabi; immediate past Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Mr Bola Oyebamiji; and Lagos-based engineer, Dideolu Falobi, among others.

Abiola, who served in the Osun Assembly from 2018 to 2023, is, however, the only female aspirant to have purchased the nomination form.

In a personally signed statement obtained in Osogbo on Thursday, Abiola told journalists shortly after obtaining the form that her decision to join the race was driven by the gross marginalisation of women in the political space.

Decrying the low participation of women in leadership positions, she said the time had come to raise political consciousness among women and push for greater representation.

She said, “I just obtained the APC governorship nomination form at the party’s national secretariat to demonstrate my readiness to contest the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

“Osun is our common patrimony, not the entitlement of a section of people. This is the time to have a female governor at the helm of affairs of our dear state. Enough is enough! This is the time for women to take their rightful position.

“My decision is to raise the consciousness of our people, particularly the womenfolk, about the need to lead the state. I am prepared to restore the lost glory of our people in the political space. It is no longer news that women have been marginalised and treated as second fiddle.”

Abiola added that she was unperturbed by the “antics and rhetoric” of other aspirants who purchased forms earlier, insisting she was confident of victory.

“All I know is that I am confident. I will win the party’s primary and the governorship election come August 2026,” she stated.