Adeleke slams Aregbesola: ‘Your tenure was the worst in Osun’s history’

OSOGBO — Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing attack on his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, describing his eight-year tenure as the “worst in Osun’s history.”

Adeleke’s remarks came in response to Aregbesola’s statement on Sunday while addressing supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Osogbo. Aregbesola had boasted that the ADC would dislodge the Adeleke-led administration from the government house come 2026.

In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, Governor Adeleke said Aregbesola has no moral ground to speak, accusing him of leaving behind a legacy of hardship, financial mismanagement, and institutional decay.

“The empty boast of Mr. Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind battling his benefactor and haunted by the suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people through his evil policies and programmes,” Adeleke said.

The Governor accused Aregbesola of mismanaging workers’ welfare by introducing the controversial half salary policy, misusing contributory pension funds, and withholding cooperative deductions from civil servants.

“A man who should be remorseful and tender public apologies for his years of maladministration has the audacity to attack a Governor who is paying up the half salary affliction, clearing unjustified debts, and rehabilitating brutalized Osun workers,” the statement read.

Adeleke revealed that his administration has so far paid 28 months of the half salaries owed by Aregbesola’s administration and has also cleared close to N60 billion in pension debt.

He further criticized Aregbesola for plunging the state into a cycle of unsustainable debt, which he said is still affecting Osun’s financial health today.

“Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun State is that of Mr. Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives and thousands of livelihoods were disrupted,” Adeleke declared.

Describing Aregbesola as a “shrew who doesn’t realize he’s smelling,” Adeleke warned that 2026 will be a payback year, where Osun voters will reject the return of what he termed “the dark days” of Aregbesola’s rule.

No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the evil days. The people will punish the former Governor and his party for willfully inflicting pain on them.”

The war of words between the former and current governors signals an early start to the political contest ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship election.