Osun 2026: APC, Accord differ over Adeleke’s killings allegations

The Osun State All Progressives Congress governorship campaign council and the Imole campaign council, leading Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, on Tuesday, traded words over the statement credited to the governor regarding the killings in the state.

The APC, in a statement by the Director General of its campaign council, Wole Oke, obtained in Osogbo, chided Adeleke for threatening that “A repeat of the 1983 political crisis would be visited on Osun State should he lose the August 15 governorship election.”

But the Imole campaign council said the governor’s statement was misinterpreted and falsified, insisting that his clarion call on President Bola Tinubu was to ensure free and fair elections in Osun State.

The governor had, while addressing the governorship campaign rally of the Accord for Olorunda Local Government on Monday, reminded Tinubu that he and his party already endorsed him for another term ahead of the 2027 general election, imploring him to play a fatherly role to the state by rising to protect its residents.

The APC, replying to Adeleke, said the governor made disparaging and unfounded allegations against the President, including an untrue claim that Tinubu was withholding the federal allocations due to the 30 local government areas in Osun State.

“These statements are false, distasteful, irresponsible and completely unsubstantiated.

“They are nothing but a manifestation of the frustration that has enveloped the outgoing governor as the reality of an impending electoral defeat continues to stare him in the face,” it said.

The council added, “Governor Adeleke’s attempt to blackmail the President and paint him as an enemy of Osun people is another desperate strategy to demonise a genuine democrat whose commitment to constitutional governance and the rule of law is well established.”

It explained that the recognised local government administration in the state had been receiving the statutory federal allocations due to it every month, noting that it was incorrect and misleading for Adeleke to accuse Tinubu of withholding Osun LG allocations.

“Such falsehood is aimed solely at misleading the public and tarnishing the impeccable democratic credentials of the President.

“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 by the Accord thugs believed to be sponsored by his administration, with at least 10 of those deaths occurring in recent times,” the statement read.

The party said, “Rather than distracting the public from discussing his lacklustre administration and issuing veiled and direct threats against the President and attempting to heat the polity, Adeleke should prepare to accept the verdict of the electorate with maturity and dignity.

“The people of Osun have made up their minds to embrace a new era of responsible, transparent and people-oriented leadership under the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO).

“No amount of inflammatory rhetoric or desperate propaganda can alter the democratic will of the people.”

The Accord campaign council, however, denied accusations that the governor attacked the President.

In a statement signed by the Director General, Lere Oyewumi, the council said Adeleke only called the attention of the President to the “ongoing repression and intimidation of Osun residents and urged the President to call the Marine Minister, Gboyega Oyetola, to order to stop recurrence of political violence of the past.”

The Imole campaign council restated the governor’s passionate pleading to Mr President to wade in as the father of all to stop the killings and maiming of residents and Accord members, affirming that “at no point did the governor attack or deride the President.”

The council added, “Governor Adeleke only called the attention of President Tinubu to the ongoing repression and intimidation of Osun residents and urged the President to call the Marine Minister, Gboyega Oyetola, to order to stop recurrence of political violence of the past.

“The state governor only informed the President of constant killing that is driving towards genocide.

The Accord has lost seven members, with more than 20 suffering various gun injuries in the last three months.

“Presently, more than 60 Accord members are languishing in illegal police detentions.

In 2022, the governor lost 45 of his supporters in the cold hands of APC thugs. The police did not raise a finger to prosecute suspected APC thugs who killed our members during the 2022 elections.

“APC thugs are daily raiding towns and houses of Accord leaders. The facts are in the public domain.”

Oyewumi also said the governor, in his remarks at the event, “referenced the Osun local government crisis in which over N350bn of Osun local government funds have been diverted and used by illegal APC operatives whose falsely claimed tenure has also lapsed.”

APC faults Adeleke

The Osun State chapter of the APC has, however, urged Adeleke to desist from heaping blame on Tinubu and the immediate-past governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola, over his political woes.

The party, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, said Adeleke, while speaking at a campaign rally in Osogbo on Monday, accused the duo of Tinubu and Oyetola of being responsible for his political misfortune in the state towards the forthcoming governorship election.

The APC also said Adeleke at the rally reminded Tinubu that he saw no reason for what he called his political persecution despite the fact that he had endorsed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the Accord in the 2027 election.

Olabisi said Adeleke also at the rally accused the police of compromise against his government, reminded his supporters that he remained the Chief Security Officer of the state.

Expressing dismay over the allegations against Tinubu and Oyetola, Olabisi said Adeleke was responsible for fuelling, promoting and bankrolling political violence in the state.

“The unsubstantiated allegations of Governor Adeleke, who covers his inadequacy by resorting to dancing when an injection of intellect is needed against President Tinubu, and Oyetola are misplaced and frivolous, as such amount to making a justification for his imminent defeat in the forthcoming governorship election.

“One would have expected the sinking governor to state in his needless political inciting statement session at the rally to give the reasons why he has made the state Government House a refuge for the political hoodlums who have been on the wanted list of the police and why he has been empowering the dangerous political thugs with juicy political appointments.

“The discerning minds in the society would have been anxious to know the reason why, a few days to the governorship election in the state, the drowning and desperate governor has been granting undeserved and questionable amnesty to some of the dangerous political thugs serving various jail terms in the correctional centres across the state?” Olabisi said.

He stated that competition was strange to Adeleke, the reason he was “crying of political persecution all over the place without any tangible proof to establish his frivolous allegations.”

He reminded the governor that the endorsement of Tinubu as his presidential candidate in the 2027 election was not forced on him and the decision would not be the reason why he should not be prepared for a free and fair contest in the forthcoming Osun governorship election

Why the worry if it is true that Governor Adeleke has done well for his state, as the forthcoming 15th August, 2026 governorship election will be a yardstick to measure his claim in this regard?

“No one is contesting Governor Adeleke being the constitutional chief security officer of the state, while the crux of the matter is why is it that it is the same self-acclaimed state CSO that has been the architect of the series of security breaches in the state,” he further said.