Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, has dismissed Governor Ademola Adeleke's recent outburst against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, as a clear indication of confusion and fear of defeat ahead of the August 15 governorship election. Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, made the remarks on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, while addressing a crowd of APC supporters in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, in response to the governor's comments at a campaign rally in Osogbo the previous day.
At Monday's rally, Governor Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party, had appealed to President Tinubu to intervene in what he described as a spate of killings and politically motivated arrests of Accord members in the state. He warned against a repeat of the political crisis that followed the disputed 1983 election in the old Ondo and Oyo states, declaring that "there won't be rigging in Osun" and that the people would resist any attempt to subvert their will. "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," Adeleke said.
However, Oyebamiji rejected the governor's allegations, describing them as the desperate outburst of a man overwhelmed by the prospect of losing the election. Speaking in Yoruba, the APC candidate said: "The outgoing governor is overwhelmed with confusion and fear of losing this coming election when he verbally attacked President Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, who is also our leader, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola." He contended that the present Accord-led administration cannot justify the revenues accrued to the state with the infrastructural projects implemented, and promised to ensure equitable utilisation of resources and the citing of developmental projects across the state.
Oyebamiji also took a swipe at the governor's record, noting that when Adeleke won the 2022 governorship poll and assumed duty, his administration searched through files to probe the expenditures and other financial transactions of the previous administration but found nothing. "When we take over government after winning the August 15 gubernatorial poll, we would not have time for probe but we are going to face the responsibility of delivering good and impactful governance to our people," he stated. The APC candidate further bemoaned the absence of social amenities and other basic infrastructures in communities such as Gbongan and Odeomu in Ayedaade Local Government Area, promising not to neglect them in the implementation of projects and policies capable of improving their standard of living.
The APC National Secretary, Surajudeen Bashiru, also weighed in, accusing Governor Adeleke of resorting to inflammatory rhetoric out of fear of imminent defeat. In a statement on Tuesday, Bashiru challenged the governor to run an issues-based campaign if he believed his administration had performed well enough to deserve another term. "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?" Bashiru asked. He cited infrastructure and education as areas where he said the governor's performance should be assessed, claiming that more than 20 roads remained dilapidated and that Osun had a teacher deficit of about 30,000.
The APC's Osun Governorship Campaign Council, in a separate statement, accused Governor Adeleke of making "reckless, inflammatory and seditious" remarks and rejected the governor's allegation that the federal government was withholding allocations due to Osun's 30 local government areas. The council insisted that the legally recognised local government administration in Osun State receives its statutory federal allocations every month.
Oyebamiji, who has been campaigning on a seven-point Prosperity Agenda focusing on poverty alleviation, workers' welfare, job creation, transparent governance, economic growth, youth and women empowerment, security, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, culture and tourism, also rejected allegations that the APC was relying on the Federal Government or security agencies to influence the election's outcome. He described the accusations as propaganda, insisting that the APC would defeat Governor Adeleke without the aid of "federal might."
The Osun State governorship election, scheduled for August 15, 2026, is considered one of the most consequential off-cycle polls in Nigeria's electoral calendar. With less than two weeks to go, both parties have intensified their campaigns, trading accusations of violence and electoral manipulation while seeking to persuade the state's 2.34 million registered voters. The Independent National Electoral Commission has assured residents that the election will be free and fair, but the escalating war of words between the candidates has heightened political tensions across the state. As Oyebamiji put it, the people of Osun will have the final say on August 15, when they will decide whether to renew Governor Adeleke's mandate or entrust the state's leadership to the APC candidate.
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