APC accuses Gov Adeleke of panic, denies claims of violence and rigging

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of using heated language and making false claims against President Bola Tinubu and other party leaders because he fears losing the governorship election on 15 August.

The APC's response came after Mr Adeleke spoke at a campaign rally in Osogbo on Monday. He asked President Bola Tinubu to step in to stop the violence and killings in the state. He warned that Osun should not see a repeat of the political troubles that followed the disputed 1983 election in the old Ondo and Oyo States.

“President Bola Tinubu, something is happening in Osun that you have not moved to put an end to. They are killing our people. You are the President; you are the father for all of us,” Mr Adeleke said.

“There won’t be rigging in Osun. Remember what happened in 1983. It started in Yorubaland. When they cheated Bola Ige and Ajasin, Osun will not agree. We want a free and fair election.”

But the APC National Secretary, Surajudeen Bashiru, dismissed the governor’s comments. He accused Mr Adeleke of trying to tarnish the party's image before the election.

Mr Bashiru, in a statement on Tuesday, urged Mr Adeleke to focus on real issues if he believes his administration has done well enough to win again.

“His outburst was born out of fear of imminent defeat,” he said.

He questioned why a sitting governor would worry about rigging just 11 days before the election. “How can a sitting governor be crying over rigging in an election that is coming up in 11 days, when in politics, 24 hours is enough to change things?” Mr Bashiru asked.

He pointed out that infrastructure and education should be the focus. He claimed there are over 20 bad roads in the state and that Osun has a shortage of about 30,000 teachers.

“If such roads had been fixed, they would have boosted the economy of the state, and if that teachers’ deficit were addressed, employment would have been created while adding value to the educational sector,” he said.

APC denies allegations of withheld funds and violence

The APC’s Osun Governorship Campaign Council also issued a statement. Its Director General, Oluwole Oke, accused Mr Adeleke of making “reckless, inflammatory and seditious” statements.

Mr Oke rejected the governor’s claim that the federal government was withholding funds meant for Osun’s 30 local government areas. “For the avoidance of doubt, the legally recognised local government administration in Osun State receives the statutory federal allocations due to it every month,” he said.

He accused Mr Adeleke of trying to make President Tinubu look like an enemy of Osun people. He called the governor’s comments “another desperate strategy to demonise a genuine democrat.”

Mr Oke, who is also a member of the House of Representatives, pointed to the violence allegations against the governor. He stated that over 30 APC members and supporters have been killed since 2022, including at least 10 recently.

“It is rather ironic that Governor Adeleke now seeks to portray himself as a victim of political intimidation when, since 2022, no fewer than 30 members and supporters of the APC have been killed,” he said.

Mr Oke also accused the governor of protecting political thugs and helping some people get out of prison. He called out Mr Adeleke for not explaining how the state has used funds received.

He mentioned the need for the governor to account for a N2 billion Federal Government grant released in 2023 for compressed natural gas buses. He also said the state got N17 billion in ecological funds in 2024 and 2025 and more than N1 trillion in revenue during Mr Adeleke’s time.

“Every kobo belonging to the people must be accounted for in accordance with the law,” Mr Oke said.

Adeleke's warning about 1983

Mr Adeleke’s mention of 1983 has stirred a lot of debate in the campaign. His warning referred to the political crisis that followed the disputed 1983 elections in old Ondo and Oyo States. This situation led to unrest and was part of the political tension before the military coup of 31 December 1983.

The APC criticized Mr Adeleke for bringing up that period, calling it inflammatory and accusing him of trying to stir up trouble.

Election linked to 2022 contest

The 2026 election is seen as a continuation of the political rivalry from the closely contested 2022 governorship election. Mr Adeleke, the Accord party candidate, won against the then-incumbent APC governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, with 403,371 votes to Mr Oyetola’s 375,027, according to INEC.

The APC challenged this result in court, but Mr Adeleke kept his victory through the legal process. Mr Oyetola is now a minister in the Tinubu administration and remains a key APC figure in Osun.

Mr Adeleke is aiming for a second term, while the APC is putting forward its candidate, Munirudeen Oyebamiji, also known as AMBO.

The APC has dismissed Mr Adeleke’s support for Mr Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign as not enough to secure his own re-election. “Merely endorsing President Tinubu’s re-election is not a guarantee for the governor’s second term as he must face his political woes squarely,” Mr Bashiru said.