Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of threatening to manipulate the August 15 governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress.
Adeleke made the allegation in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, following comments made by Oyetola while addressing APC stakeholders and supporters in Osun State on Saturday.
Oyetola, who served as governor of Osun State and lost his re-election bid to Adeleke in 2022, had urged the incumbent governor to prepare for defeat in Saturday’s election. He said Adeleke’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election would not prevent the APC from reclaiming the Osun governorship seat.
The minister was responding to Adeleke’s earlier allegations that APC members and leaders of the Accord Party were being intimidated ahead of the election. Oyetola said the governor’s complaints showed that he had realised he was losing control of the state.
Speaking in Yoruba, Oyetola said Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu would not save his administration, insisting that the APC would take back the governorship seat. He also said, “A maa gba lowo e,” which means “we will snatch it from him.”
Reacting, Adeleke described Oyetola’s remarks as an “open threat” to rig the election and urged democracy advocates to pay attention to the development. He called for a free and fair election and vowed that the people of Osun State would resist any attempt to manipulate the poll.
The governor argued that his endorsement of Tinubu demonstrated his political strength and his ability to deliver votes from Osun State to the President in the 2027 election. He accused Oyetola of damaging Tinubu’s image and weakening the APC’s popularity in the state through what he described as anti-democratic activities.
Adeleke also alleged that recent violence involving political supporters had resulted in the killing and maiming of some Accord members. He accused Oyetola of disregarding the victims and using his position as a minister to undermine the democratic rights of Osun residents.
The governor further claimed that the APC had lost the confidence of voters in the state and was therefore relying on electoral manipulation to win the August 15 election. He maintained that Osun residents would reject the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, just as they rejected Oyetola in the 2022 governorship election.
Adeleke expressed confidence in his re-election, attributing his expected victory to what he described as strong support from the people. He said his administration would respect the democratic choice of voters and would not attempt to “snatch” their electoral rights.
The August 15 governorship election is expected to be closely contested, with Adeleke seeking another term and the APC campaigning to regain control of the state.
