Three major political parties are gearing up for a fierce contest as they prepare to battle for victory in the governorship elections scheduled to hold next year in Osun and Ekiti states.

The ruling All Progressives Congress, alongside opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress have all expressed confidence in their chances, each insisting it will emerge victorious come 2026 elections.

According to the PDP National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, said voters in both states want the PDP back in power. He told Sunday PUNCH that people have seen how both APC and PDP govern, and they prefer PDP.

“People are tired of the APC administration. They want the party to be in power,” Turaki said. He added that PDP will win if the elections are free and fair.

The African Democratic Congress party’s National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, said in an interviewthat the ADC enjoys strong grassroots support in the state, attributing this in part to the influence of its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, who hails from Osun.

Rufai said many Nigerians are unhappy with APC’s policies and the way the government keeps borrowing money without helping ordinary people. “We are very hopeful that Osun and Ekiti State governorship elections will be good for ADC,” he said.

However, APC has dismissed the other parties’ claims. Speaking through its Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, the ruling party said it is confident of retaining Ekiti state and reclaiming Osun in the next governorship elections.

He said President Bola Tinubu’s achievements will help the party win. “APC will win those states, retain Ekiti, and win Osun,” Ibrahim stated. He said while APC works quietly to get results, the other parties are having problems they cannot solve.

Both states are located in South-West Nigeria, the home region of President Bola Tinubu, and the election outcomes are expected to indicate public sentiment toward his administration. Many observers view the contests as a bellwether for the 2027 general elections, with the successful candidates set to govern their respective states for the next four years.