Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the re-election vehicle of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has delivered a scathing rebuttal to the All Progressives Congress (APC), mocking the ruling party over the conspicuous absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from its flagship campaign rally in Osogbo, while simultaneously accusing the APC national leadership of manufacturing a fake faction within the Accord Party to create the illusion of political momentum.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 13, 2026, and signed by its Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Representative Bamidele Salam, the TICC described the APC's mega rally as a failed spectacle that exposed the alleged desperation and dwindling popularity of the party and its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, just 48 hours before Saturday's high-stakes governorship election.
The campaign council's broadside zeroed in on what it described as the most glaring omission of the APC's much-hyped rally: the absence of the country's first and second citizens. While the APC had boasted of mobilising no fewer than 34 governors to Osun State for the event, the TICC noted that the overwhelming majority of those governors were also absent, leaving only a handful of party loyalists to carry the weight of an event that was supposed to demonstrate the party's overwhelming strength.
"The absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from the APC rally, alongside the non-attendance of the overwhelming majority of governors reportedly mobilised for the event, speaks volumes about lack of enthusiasm surrounding the APC campaign in Osun," the statement read, according to SaharaReporters. The council argued that the few governors who did show up appeared to have done so largely out of loyalty to the party hierarchy rather than any organic political momentum in the state.
The TICC further ridiculed the APC's decision to parade Christopher Imumolen, a factional figure within the Accord Party, as an endorser of its candidate. The council accused the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, of lending credibility to what it called a "fake" recognition of Imumolen, who has been at the centre of a leadership dispute within the Accord Party. The council insisted that Imumolen does not represent the authentic Accord family in Osun or anywhere else in Nigeria, and that his appearance at the APC rally was a manufactured endorsement designed to create the false impression that Governor Adeleke's party was fracturing.
"The Imole Campaign Council has chided the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, over the recognition and fake endorsement of one Christopher Imumolen, who has been parading himself as the factional National Chairman of the Accord, describing the development as an admittance of the unpopularity of Osun APC and her candidate, Bola Oyebamiji," the campaign council stated, as reported by Chronicle Reporters.
The council's attack on the APC's handling of the Accord Party faction reflects a broader strategy by the Adeleke campaign to portray the ruling party as a desperate entity that has run out of ideas and is now resorting to political manipulation and manufactured endorsements to compensate for its lack of grassroots support. The TICC maintained that the APC leadership at the national level was fully aware of Governor Adeleke's growing acceptance among the people of Osun and the strength of the Imole movement across the state, and that the party's resort to factionalisation was evidence of its apprehension about the outcome of the election.
The TICC also took a swipe at Oyebamiji, describing him as a "stooge" of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola and alleging that his candidacy represented an attempt to return the same political interests that the people of Osun rejected in the last election. The council said Oyebamiji, like his political master, had already been rejected by the people of Osun, who, according to the council, had moved beyond the politics of the past and embraced the performance-driven leadership of Adeleke.
The APC, however, has not remained silent in the face of the TICC's attacks. In response to the allegations, the party's campaign council had earlier accused Governor Adeleke of making false claims against President Tinubu and urged him to focus on issue-based campaigning rather than personal attacks. The APC has also insisted that the presence of President Tinubu at the rally was not necessary for the party to demonstrate its strength, pointing to the attendance of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and several governors as evidence of the party's national reach.
The war of words between the two camps comes at a time of heightened political tension in Osun State, where the governorship election is seen as a test of President Tinubu's political influence and a potential bellwether for the 2027 general elections. Governor Adeleke, who is seeking a second term on the platform of the Accord Party, has framed the election as a battle between the people of Osun and the federal might of the APC, while the APC has cast the contest as a referendum on Adeleke's performance over the past four years.
As the clock ticks down to Saturday's poll, the TICC's mockery of the APC over the absence of Tinubu and Shettima is likely to further inflame an already volatile political atmosphere. The campaign council's claim that the APC is desperate and unpopular may resonate with voters who are weary of political violence and manipulation, but it also risks being dismissed as political posturing by a campaign that is itself under pressure to deliver a convincing victory.
The Imole Campaign Council has challenged Yilwatda and the APC to concentrate on presenting their candidate and programmes to the people of Osun rather than attempting to manufacture divisions within opposition parties. The council's message is clear: the people of Osun are not fooled by political gimmicks, and they will decide the outcome of the election based on performance, not propaganda.
The Osun State governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, with 15 candidates vying for the top job. The outcome of the poll will be closely watched by political observers across the country, as it could signal the direction of Nigeria's political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections. For now, the battle lines have been drawn, and the war of words shows no signs of abating.
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