The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed former Osun State Deputy Governor, Iyiola Omisore, and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as members of its 276-member National Campaign Council for the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.
The campaign council was unveiled on Sunday by the APC National Working Committee and will be chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma.
The council is scheduled to be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 28, at the Transcorp Hilton Event Centre in Abuja, according to a notice signed by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
Uzodimma will serve as chairman, while Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were named co-chairmen.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, will serve as deputy chairman, while Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, will function as secretary.
The council comprises governors, members of the APC National Working Committee, principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers, federal and state lawmakers, party leaders and other stakeholders from across the country.
The APC has also constituted specialised sub-committees to oversee various aspects of the campaign, including election planning and management, finance and resource mobilisation, grassroots engagement, logistics, monitoring and compliance, media and publicity, security, youth mobilisation, women’s mobilisation and persons with disabilities mobilisation.
Omisore’s inclusion in the campaign council is expected to ease speculation about his commitment to the APC following the defection of some of his political associates to the Accord party in support of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid.
Questions over Omisore’s position within the APC intensified after he failed to attend the party’s governorship campaign flag-off in Ile-Ife, prompting speculation that he may have distanced himself from the party.
However, the Chairman of the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Ajibola Famurewa, dismissed such suggestions, saying the former deputy governor would accept the assignment as a loyal member of the APC.
Famurewa explained that Omisore’s inclusion was consistent with the party’s tradition of appointing prominent political figures to campaign councils, particularly those from the state where an election is being contested.
He also attributed Omisore’s absence from the campaign flag-off to what he described as inadequate notice.
According to him, Omisore and some other APC leaders who were absent from the event received invitations barely 24 hours before the flag-off, making it difficult for them to attend.
Meanwhile, the APC is fielding former Osun State Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, as its governorship candidate after he emerged as the party’s consensus candidate following consultations among key stakeholders.
Oyebamiji will face incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke in what is expected to be a closely contested election, which is also being viewed as an important political test ahead of the 2027 general elections.
