Dare Babalola
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has accused former Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), of allegedly plotting to destabilise the August 15 governorship election, claiming the opposition is acting out of fear of defeat.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor alleged that opposition figures in the Osun APC were resorting to anti-democratic tactics after concluding they were unpopular ahead of the polls.
“Out of fear of defeat, Mr Oyetola and his imposed candidate are desperate to disrupt the August 15 election. Having seen clearly that Osun people have rejected them, they are now resorting to anti-democratic means in a last-ditch effort to secure power,” the statement read.
The government further cited internal opinion polls it said were conducted by the APC between late 2025 and March 2026, claiming they consistently showed the opposition trailing significantly.
According to the statement, “opinion surveys commissioned by the Osun APC itself from the last quarter of 2025 to March 2026 have consistently placed the APC popularity below 30 percent, while Governor Adeleke’s approval rating has remained between 68 and 72 percent.”
It added that the figures reflected “overwhelming public support” for the governor and indicated that the outcome of the election was already evident.
The statement also linked the opposition’s alleged frustration to recent political developments in the state, including comments attributed to Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi regarding the position of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the Osun governorship contest.
“That reality unsettled the Oyetola/Ambo faction of the state APC. Once it became public that there would be no external manipulation of the electoral process, the opposition’s desperation deepened, leaving them with no option but to resort to failed schemes,” the statement added.
It further accused the opposition of a series of unsuccessful attempts to regain political control of the state through various means.
“According to the statement, Mr Oyetola and his Osun APC faction orchestrated the local government crisis to stall development and deny the people the dividends of democracy, but they failed. The former Governor’s attempt to engineer a state of emergency through the unlawful invasion of local government secretariats also failed.
The former governor and his faction sponsored indiscriminate harassment and arrest of government loyalists, yet he failed. They tried to prevent Governor Adeleke from appearing on the ballot, but they failed… They attempted to factionalise political platforms like the Accord, which also failed. Now, he is pushing for its deregistration. He will fail again,” it stated.
Reaffirming confidence in the governor’s re-election bid, the statement insisted that the opposition was aware of its declining popularity and was attempting to undermine the electoral process.
“The bottom line is clear: they know they will lose. They are afraid of the people and the power of the ballot. That is why they are working tirelessly to undermine the democratic process and deny citizens their constitutional rights to vote and be voted for,” it said.
Governor Adeleke was also quoted as expressing confidence that he would defeat the APC candidate decisively at the polls, stating that his victory was assured by popular support and divine favour.
