The incumbent senator representing Osun Central, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi Ajagunla, has come under scrutiny over his legislative record as the battle for the senatorial district ahead of the 2027 general election begins to take shape.

Speaking on Afinju 90.7FM’s current affairs program, Hard Punch, the current South-West Youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Seyi Bamidele, questioned the legislative record of the Senator, stating that the people of the senatorial district have not felt any serious impact of the Senator.

Bamidele, who was speaking in support of Ibrahim Adekunle Lukman, now contesting the Osun Central seat on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, said he could not recall any significant legislative achievement by Ajagunla that should automatically translate into electoral advantage.

He argued that merely having served in the National Assembly should not be enough to secure another term, stressing that voters would ultimately assess what an incumbent had done with the opportunity to represent them.

According to him, political incumbency works when constituents can see the impact of a representative’s performance, but may become less relevant when voters believe they have not benefited sufficiently from the representation.

Bamidele also questioned what he described as inconsistency in Ajagunla’s movement between political platforms, saying such movements could affect how voters perceive a politician’s commitment to a particular party and its structures.

Ajagunla, who won the Osun Central senatorial seat for the PDP in the 2023 general election, is the incumbent in the district.

The PDP’s internal dispute over the 2027 ticket has, however, introduced another dimension to the contest. Lukman had challenged the circumstances surrounding Ajagunla’s return to the PDP and his emergence as the party’s preferred candidate, before subsequently moving to the APM.

Bamidele defended Lukman’s decision, insisting that the political relationships and grassroots network built during his time in the PDP could continue to work for him on the APM platform.

He also rejected the suggestion that APM’s relatively limited electoral footprint, compared with larger parties, would automatically place Lukman at a disadvantage.

Beyond party structures, Bamidele repeatedly drew attention to what he described as Lukman’s humanitarian activities, business experience and accessibility to constituents.

He contrasted these with what he described as the need for representatives to remain visible and accessible to the people after winning elections.

The PDP Southwest leader also dismissed the argument that Ajagunla’s previous experience in the Senate should outweigh the profile of a younger challenger, maintaining that experience becomes meaningful when it produces results that constituents can identify with.

The debate also extended to the geographical dimension of the contest, with Lukman being an indigene of Ikirun while other prospective contenders are associated with Osogbo and other parts of the senatorial district.

Bamidele argued that Osun Central voters had previously elected senators from different parts of the district and that being from Ikirun should not, on its own, constitute a disadvantage.

He further outlined the areas Lukman’s camp says it would prioritise if elected, including youth empowerment, healthcare, agriculture, education and infrastructure.

Bamidele said the proposed agenda would include support for primary healthcare centres, agricultural development, skills acquisition and opportunities for young people to access international training programmes.

He also argued that federal lawmakers should facilitate federal road projects in their constituencies to complement the efforts of state and local governments.

While making the case for Lukman, Bamidele expressed strong confidence in his candidate’s prospects and said the APM campaign had structures and political relationships across the senatorial district.

As the 2027 election approaches, the Osun Central contest is therefore expected to revolve around several issues, including Ajagunla’s record as the incumbent, the strength of the competing party structures, the appeal of the individual candidates and the ability of challengers to translate their political networks into votes.