Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly plotting to manipulate the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, citing comments attributed to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Adeleke, in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in Osogbo, described Oyetola’s remarks at an APC stakeholders’ meeting as an “open threat” to the conduct of a free and fair election.
Oyetola, a former governor of Osun State who lost his re-election bid to Adeleke in 2022, had reportedly told APC supporters that Adeleke should prepare to lose the forthcoming election.
The minister was reacting to Adeleke’s recent endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
Speaking in Yoruba, Oyetola reportedly said Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu would not save his administration from defeat, insisting that the APC would reclaim the state.
He was quoted as saying: “Endorsement cannot retain this seat for you. We are taking it over. If you like, make 10 endorsements, we will collect this one from you.”
Adeleke interpreted the statement as an indication that the APC was considering measures to influence the outcome of the election.
The governor also referenced another statement attributed to Oyetola, “A maa gba lowo e,” which translates to “we will snatch it from him.”
According to Adeleke, his endorsement of Tinubu was driven by his belief that he could mobilise support for the President in Osun ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He, however, accused Oyetola of undermining the President’s image and weakening the APC’s standing in Osun through what he described as anti-democratic activities.
“Oyetola’s anti-people, anti-democracy activities are tarnishing the image of Mr President and deepening the unpopularity of Osun APC among voters and residents,” Adeleke said.
He further alleged that Oyetola’s comments confirmed earlier claims that the APC had lost the confidence of Osun voters and was relying on alleged electoral manipulation.
The governor said the people of Osun would resist any attempt to undermine their democratic rights, insisting that the APC’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, would be rejected at the polls.
“Our people rejected him in 2022, and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, next Saturday,” he said.
Adeleke maintained that he was confident of victory based on what he described as massive support from voters, stressing that his re-election would be secured through the ballot rather than manipulation of the electoral process.
“As for us, we are winning this election by the grace of God and mass support of the people. We are not going to snatch the democratic rights of the people as Mr Oyetola had threatened. We will be re-elected by the choice of the voters,” he said.
The governor also appealed to security agencies and other relevant authorities to ensure that voters are able to exercise their franchise freely and without intimidation or interference.
The allegations have further heightened political tension ahead of the Osun governorship election, with the APC and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party-led administration trading claims over the likely outcome of the poll.
