_…Says our population deserves larger shares of public resources_
The Muslim Political Awareness Front (MUPAF) has called on all political parties in Osun State to elect Muslim candidates as their flagbearers for the 2026 governorship election.
The call was made on Saturday, May 3, 2025, during a press conference held in Osogbo, the state capital. The event was led by the National Coordinator of MUPAF, Alhaji Lukman Obembe.
MUPAF, a prominent Islamic socio-political movement, emphasized its commitment to promoting political participation among Muslims and supporting Muslim candidates across the southwest and Kwara State.
In his address, Obembe noted the absence of Muslim governors in the entire southern Nigeria. He said, “It is no more news that there is no Muslim governor in the entire southern Nigeria as we speak, hence the need for Muslims to wake up and use our population to get back our lost political feat.”
He also raised concerns about alleged imbalances in the distribution of state resources and appointments in Osun and other states with large Muslim populations.
The Coordinator stated that, “Public assets should be shared according to the percentage of each community, doctrine and representative.”
Obembe urged political parties to take deliberate steps in choosing Muslim candidates during their upcoming primaries.
“We are ready to throw our weight behind any political party that presents Muslim flag bearer in the forthcoming governorship election come 2026 in Osun State,” he declared.
MUPAF further reiterated its commitment to grassroots political mobilization, referencing its recent constituency tour across Osun State, which involved various levels of Muslim stakeholders and coordinators.
The group emphasized that not just any candidate bearing a Muslim name would earn its support.
“MUPAF will screen all Muslim candidates for the Osun 2026 governorship election and support a true Muslim candidate and not a Muslim by name to gain our votes as usual,” Obembe stated.
He defined a true Muslim leader as one who is fair in resource distribution and committed to justice.
“A true Muslim must not be biased in sharing what Allah has put to his or her custody to supervise as a leader among his people,” he stressed.
The group reiterated its neutrality toward political parties and personalities, asserting that it would “physically, spiritually, financially support and campaign for the emergence of any true Muslim candidate” in the 2026 elections across the southwest and Kwara State.
