The Osun State chapter of Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress, one of the country’s major political parties, has accused Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, of sponsoring coordinated attacks against its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and a former governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola.
The allegations were outlined in a statement signed by the Osun State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Tajudeen Lawal, which was released on Sunday in Osogbo, the capital city of Osun State in southwestern Nigeria.
Okay News reports that the statement reflects growing political hostilities as political parties intensify preparations for the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, 8 August 2026.
According to Lawal, Governor Adeleke and his political allies have become increasingly aggressive due to what he described as their weakening political standing within the state. He claimed the administration’s actions were driven by fear of electoral defeat.
Lawal stated, “We have observed the orchestrated efforts of the injured and embittered Mr. Adeleke and his co-travellers, their coordinated efforts to either sponsor hatchet writers or directly heap tantrums on the leader of our party in the state, His Excellency, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, the recently elected governorship candidate of our party who emerged in a seamless consensus primary election penultimate Saturday.”
Providing further criticism, the All Progressives Congress chairman accused the Adeleke administration of attempting to divert public attention from what he described as widespread governance failures across multiple sectors.
He said the governor’s political camp had endured “sleepless nights” in what he termed “fruitless efforts” to mask what he called “the glaring monumental failure of the Governor Adeleke-led administration,” adding that the situation stemmed from “the result of a leader who absolutely fails to plan.”
Lawal also issued a strong warning regarding the upcoming election, asserting that the ruling party’s defeat was inevitable. He said, “We want to remind Governor Adeleke and his cohorts that it is neither Oyetola nor Oyebamiji that was responsible for their ill-fated status in the political history of the state, of which their imminent defeat through the 8th August, 2026 election is a done deal.”
He further questioned the performance of Adeleke’s administration, asking whether former Governor Oyetola or Bola Oyebamiji had influenced what he described as poor governance outcomes in critical sectors such as health, education, transportation, security, social welfare, financial management, local government administration, and traditional chieftaincy affairs.
In reaction to the allegations, the Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande, dismissed the All Progressives Congress statements as signs of desperation rather than strength.
Akande said, “The rage, the lies and the incoherent attacks are therefore inevitable symptoms of frustration, not strength.”
The Accord Party chairman went on to defend Governor Adeleke’s record in office, contrasting it with the period when Osun State was governed by the All Progressives Congress.
He stated that even from an external observation, his party had been impressed by what he described as visible improvements across the state within three years of Adeleke’s leadership.
Akande said, “Even while watching Governor Adeleke’s administration from afar, the Accord in Osun State has been genuinely astonished by the visible turnaround in Osun State within just three years, a sharp contrast to the All Progressives Congress years, which are today best remembered as better-forgotten seasons of malfeasance and administrative wickedness.”
He highlighted workers’ welfare as a key point of comparison, accusing the previous administration of subjecting civil servants to irregular salary payments.
“Unlike the All Progressives Congress era, where Osun workers were wickedly subjected to the intermittent and dehumanising payment of half salaries, Governor Adeleke has prioritised workers’ welfare, restored consistency in salary payments, addressed arrears and brought back dignity to labour,” Akande added.
He concluded by accusing supporters of former Governor Oyetola of avoiding accountability for past governance decisions, saying history would remember their actions.
Osun State politics has remained deeply competitive since the 2022 governorship election, when Senator Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party defeated the incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, securing 403,371 votes against Oyetola’s 375,027.
That election ended twelve years of All Progressives Congress rule in the state, following the administrations of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola from 2010 to 2018 and Oyetola from 2018 to 2022.
Although the election outcome was challenged in court and legal disputes continued into early 2023, Adeleke ultimately assumed office, with political tensions continuing as parties prepare for the next electoral contest.
As the 2026 governorship election approaches, rivalry among the All Progressives Congress, the ruling People’s Democratic Party, and smaller parties such as the Accord Party has intensified, with public statements and counter-accusations shaping the evolving political landscape in Osun State.
