Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of making remarks that allegedly suggest plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke made the allegation in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in Osogbo on Sunday.
The governor was reacting to comments made by Oyetola on Saturday while addressing APC stakeholders and supporters in the state.
Oyetola, a former governor of Osun who lost his re-election bid to Adeleke in 2022, had urged the incumbent governor to prepare for defeat in the August 15 governorship election.
He also dismissed Adeleke’s endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027, saying the endorsement would not stop the APC from reclaiming the state.
Speaking in Yoruba, Oyetola reportedly said Adeleke’s complaints about alleged intimidation of APC and Accord Party members showed that the governor was aware of his weakening political influence.
“They realised that they are already losing out. Then they claimed to have endorsed us. He almost cried. 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,” Oyetola said.
Adeleke described the remarks as an “open threat” to the credibility of the election and called on democracy advocates and other stakeholders to closely monitor developments ahead of the poll.
The governor specifically pointed to Oyetola’s use of the Yoruba expression, “A maa gba lowo e,” which translates to “we will snatch it from him,” arguing that it could be interpreted as an indication that the APC was planning to undermine the electoral process.
Adeleke said his endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election demonstrated his political strength and confidence in his ability to mobilise support for the President in Osun.
He also accused Oyetola of damaging Tinubu’s political standing through actions he claimed were contributing to the declining popularity of the APC in the state.
“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.
The governor further described the comments as particularly concerning because they came from a serving minister of the Federal Republic.
“A serving minister of the Republic had made an open threat against a free and fair election. The minister has personally confirmed all previous reports that Osun APC has lost the electoral confidence of the people and is therefore focused only on rigging next Saturday,” he alleged.
Adeleke also accused Oyetola of making light of alleged attacks on supporters of the Accord Party during the election campaign.
“The minister has made a mockery of innocent Accord members who were killed and maimed by APC thugs in cold blood in the last two months. He has told the world that he is pushing to deny the people their rights to vote and be voted for,” he alleged.
Despite his concerns, Adeleke expressed confidence that voters would resist any attempt to interfere with the election.
“The bad news for the minister is that Osun people are determined to resist his sadistic agenda. Our people rejected him in 2022, and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, next Saturday,” he said.
The governor maintained that he remained confident of securing re-election, citing what he described as widespread support from voters across the state.
“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,” Adeleke stated.
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