Adeleke Accuses Osun APC of Threatening Federal Might Ahead of Governorship Poll

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has criticised the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged threats to deploy federal power during the forthcoming governorship election.

Adeleke also insisted that federal authority should be used for governance rather than election manipulation.

The governor spoke on Saturday in Osogbo during a meeting with leaders and ward officials of the Accord Party political structure across the state’s 332 wards.

He warned that attempts to intimidate voters ahead of the August 15 governorship poll would fail.

Adeleke accused the Osun chapter of the APC of dragging the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into what he described as anti-democratic rhetoric about using federal institutions to influence the outcome of the election.

According to him, the president is focused on governance and national development rather than interfering in electoral processes in the state.

“The President is using federal power to deliver on good governance, such as the reconstruction of the Ibadan–Ilesa road and the implementation of student loan programmes,” Adeleke said.

He added that neither the president nor key figures in his administration supported threats by the Osun APC to disrupt the forthcoming election.

The governor urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and actively participate in the electoral process, stressing that their votes would determine the eventual winner of the governorship contest.

“Our people insist on free and fair elections. Only electoral bandits boast of rigging in a democracy,” he said.

At the meeting, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, called on party leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation and ensure the protection of votes during the election.

Also speaking, Senator Olu Alabi urged elders across local government areas to begin preparations aimed at delivering electoral support for Adeleke’s re-election bid.

Similarly, Prof. Wale Oladipo and the Osun State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sunday Bisi, reaffirmed their support for the governor, directing party structures to mobilise voters across the state.

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji, said his party would not rely on federal influence to secure victory in the election.

Speaking in Osogbo during a Ramadan lecture organised by Muslim groups in the state last week, Oyebamiji said the APC had been consulting widely with traditional rulers and residents across the 30 local government areas.

“There is no way we can rely on federal might. We have consulted men and women across the state and we will continue to work hard until we have the opportunity to lead Osun State,” he said.