By Afees Adelabu
The August 15, 2026, race for Osun’s Government House has officially moved past the era of colorful posters and noisy rallies. It has gone beyond the celebration of campaign caps and billboards. We are now in a fundamental battle for the very soul of our state. On one side stands Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, aka AMBO. This is a man who cut his teeth in the high-pressure environments of boardrooms and the finance ministry, bringing a ‘get-it-done’ corporate discipline to public service. His manifesto, ‘My Pact With Osun People’, isn’t just a campaign pamphlet; it is a structural blueprint to fix the rot through a practical framework he calls the P-R-O-S-P-E-R agenda.
Then, we have the ‘Imole’ administration under Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke (ANJA). Looking at the track record so far, governance under ANJA has devolved into what I describe as ‘Edenisation’ – a system where our serious political space is treated like a private garden for theatrical performances and family patronage. This is a dangerous trend for the good of Osun us, especially indigenes of Osogbo, the state capital. We are living in a dream world where dancing and catchy slogans are used to mask the fact that the state’s foundations are gathering dust. The current government treats Osun like a stage for “dance-floor diplomacy”, chasing viral videos while the heavy lifting of state-building is completely abandoned.
As the music plays, we have to face the hard truths that the ‘Imole’ light seems to dodge. The administration beats its chest over a ‘tractorisation’ drive, but the reality on the ground is a far cry from the propaganda. While neighbouring states are deploying hundreds of units, Osun’s efforts are purely symbolic. For a state with 30 local governments and one area office, having only 31 tractors is not a “revolution”, it’s a wonderfully ridiculous joke. For god’s sake, how can we claim to be “reclaiming the frontline” in agriculture with such a scarcity of tools? The governor praises the planting of seedlings, but the average man in Esa-Oke or Ila-Orangun is still being crushed by food inflation. Where is the harvest from these celebrated initiatives? Or was the goal simply to plant seeds for a campaign documentary?
We also need to talk about the massive projects that were supposed to be our economic engines. Whatever happened to the strategic dreams of the Dagbolu Dry Port and the Ido-Osun Aviation City? These weren’t just vanity projects; they were designed to turn Osun into the logistics hub of the Southwest. Has the ‘Imole’ administration killed these industrial engines because they require technical expertise instead of a catchy playlist? It needs to be noted that spending billions on cosmetic road repairs might look good for a photo-op, but it won’t create the long-term, high-paying jobs our youth are crying for.
The gap between optics and reality is widest in Education and Healthcare. Repairing a few roofs is fine, but where is the recruitment of specialized teachers for our STEM labs? Critics are already shouting about a collapse in public education, pointing to an acute shortage of teachers and overcrowded classrooms that are reversing years of progress. In Healthcare, these “medical outreaches” are nothing more than temporary Band-Aids on a deep wound. Our Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are sitting abandoned, understaffed, and ill-equipped. Reports show that a staggering 73% of PHCs in Osun lack adequate staffing, with many having no personnel at all. Why are these centres crumbling while the government’s travel and entertainment budget keeps swelling? A pregnant woman in a village in Oriade doesn’t need a dance; she needs a doctor.
From the look of things, and In total contrast to this theatrical mess, AMBO’s P-R-O-S-P-E-R agenda is built on real results. His background isn’t in entertainment; it’s rooted in over 28 years of banking and public finance, including his time as a two-term Commissioner for Finance and CEO of Omoluabi Holdings. He understands that a budget is a moral document, not a wish list.
When Oyebamiji talks about dignity, he means that paying workers’ salaries is a basic obligation, not a “favour” to be celebrated with a party. He wants a civil service based on merit, not “who you know.” Instead of vague talk about ICT, he’s proposing actual “Tech Cities” and industrial zones that will provide real jobs for our graduates.
A state is “in … decline when incompetent drivers drive and wrong advisers advise.” Thanks be to God, the ground is clearly shifting in Osun. People who actually understand how the state works are losing faith in the current driver. The recent defection of two Senators and three House of Representatives members from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a massive vote of no confidence in the incumbent. It shows the ‘Imole’ light is flickering because it lacks the oil of actual performance. These leaders are moving to AMBO because they see a man with a plan, not just a man with a playlist.
The Manifesto versus the Myth! Method versus Mouthpiece! Governance versus Guesswork! Calculated Vision versus Careless Talk! Governance isn’t a hobby; it’s a high-stakes responsibility. Oyebamiji’s record at the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the private sector proves he knows how to manage complex systems and grow revenue. He isn’t interested in the optics of cutting ribbons on overpriced, cosmetic projects, he’s interested in the data the “spreadsheet” – that proves how many jobs are created and how many lives are saved in our hospitals.
The current administration loves to hide by blaming past officials for its own failures. But Osun people are tired of the blame game. They see the huge federal allocations coming into the state and they are asking: where is the impact? This “circus of theatrics” and administrative laziness have to stop. We need leadership that builds institutions instead of producing media stunts. Politics is a relay race. It doesn’t matter how fast you run if you drop the baton in the mud. For three years, the Adeleke government has been fumbling with the baton because the governor and his handlers were too busy playing to the gallery. Enough should be enough!
Your legacy as a leader isn’t about the ribbons you cut; it’s about the quality of life you leave behind. When we ask, “AMBO’s manifesto”, what are we talking about? The answer is simple: competence. We are talking about a man who has managed billions and delivered growth without needing a backing band. To this extent, the choice for 2026 is clear. It’s a choice between a stage-managed performance and a structural plan for prosperity. It’s between a governor who treats the state like a private garden and a leader who treats it like a sacred trust. Yes, it is time to stop the careless generalizations, turn off the music, and get back to the hard work of building Osun.
As August 15 draws closer, we don’t need a show in Osun State. We need the spreadsheet. We need AMBO!
⁕Adelabu writes from Osogbo, Osun State.
