The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has unveiled a new set of disciplinary guidelines to regulate the conduct of aspirants and their supporters ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
The measures were announced after a closed-door meeting of the State Working Committee on Thursday at the party’s secretariat in Osogbo, presided over by the chairman, Tajudeen Lawal.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the session, the party expressed concern over rising cases of verbal attacks among supporters of different aspirants. It warned that such behaviour was capable of breeding division and weakening the APC’s chances in next year’s polls.
“The situation has been causing unnecessary rancour and disharmony within our party. We cannot afford to allow reckless utterances or mudslinging to derail our preparations for the coming election,” the statement read in part.
The committee, therefore, barred executive officers at all levels, including reinstated council chairmen and councillors, from serving as coordinators for aspirants. It also prohibited the use of abusive language in campaigns, cautioning that offenders would face disciplinary action in line with the party’s constitution.
According to the SWC, no aspirant or supporter will be allowed to use the names of revered party leaders or caucuses as endorsements, while spreading unverified claims of financial support from chieftains was equally outlawed.
The meeting also deliberated on an ongoing programme said to involve the collation of 1,000 names from each ward by a non-governmental organisation. The committee directed the chairman to verify the legitimacy of the initiative in Abuja before allowing the state structure to get involved.
Party leaders further tasked local government chairmen to step up mobilisation in the ongoing Continuous Voters’ Registration exercise, lamenting what they described as a “poor level of participation” so far.
Lawal, while addressing aspirants, reminded them that the real contest was against the opposition in 2026, not among themselves.
“It is needless to turn members of the same family into arch-enemies simply because of a primary election. Our unity is non-negotiable if we truly want victory,” the chairman stressed.
