The political landscape in Osun State is heating up with the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) announcing its schedule for the 2026 governorship election, setting the date for its primary election for December 13, 2025. The move marks a significant milestone in the state’s political calendar, ensuring the party is positioned to select its flagbearer well ahead of the August 8, 2026 poll.
In a statement released from the state capital, Osogbo, the Osun NNPP Chairman, Mr Tosin Odeyemi, confirmed that all arrangements had been put in place for a successful internal contest. Mr Odeyemi was confident about the party’s prospects, stressing that the NNPP’s goal is not merely to participate but to emerge victorious in the main election.
The chairman described the NNPP as a “new bride” in Osun politics, claiming the party is perfectly positioned to harvest support from disgruntled elements within the state’s two dominant parties. “The 2026 gubernatorial election will definitely be a different ball game in Osun,” Mr Odeyemi stated, noting that the party is capitalising on the “present crises in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the sharp division within the All Progressives Congress due to the allegation of planned imposition of a candidate.”
Crucially, the contest is already highly competitive, with Mr Odeyemi confirming that the party has “not less than four aspirants” who have formally registered their interest, with others still signaling their intention to join the race. The chairman believes the party is now seen as a genuine third force by the electorate. “Feelers have made us realise that Osun masses are ready to support whoever emerges as our candidate after the December 13, 2025, primary election,” he affirmed.
The upcoming election is widely expected to be fought on economic grounds, with the severe national economic hardship deeply affecting Osun’s residents. This angle is critical to the NNPP’s strategy, as the party is positioning itself as the true vehicle for relief. The NNPP chairman explicitly urged party members to continue promoting various programmes aimed at “ameliorating the current hardship many Nigerians are grappling with.”
This focus on economic hardship reflects the state’s political reality. The incumbent government, led by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the PDP, has itself focused on initiatives aimed at stimulating local economic growth, such as injecting new funding into the Osun Micro Credit Agency to empower small businesses and implementing an aggressive infrastructure agenda to spur development. However, opposition figures, including those in the APC and the coalition groups the NNPP hopes to attract, continue to amplify the challenges of unprecedented inflation and the rising cost of living as the central issue facing the state.
By consolidating its leadership early and selecting a candidate based on popular sentiment and the economic mandate, the NNPP hopes to present a unified and appealing alternative to a populace exhausted by the infighting and perceived failure of the legacy parties. The party is now working quietly “underneath,” according to Mr Odeyemi, preparing to “spring surprises” in a crucial election year that will ultimately test whether economic hardship will be the deciding factor in Osun’s political future.
