Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke. Photo: Osun State Government
The Imole Campaign Council, the group leading the re-election campaign of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state of engaging in persistent culture of political intimidation, threats, and inflammatory rhetoric.
The council, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, in commemoration of June 12 Democracy Day celebrations, in Osogbo on Friday, recalled the incident of shooting witnessed in some communities across the state, alleging that a convoy branded with APC colours carried out the coordinated attacks.
Olajengbesi also said eyewitnesses accounts confirmed that the said “Convoy moved through Akoda, Owode, Olaiya, Old Garage, and Oke-Fia, firing shots sporadically. At least three people were seriously injured, among them a commercial bus driver and an elderly man.”
In a swift reaction through its June 12 message to the state, signed by the Head, Media and Publicity Committee, Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council, Remi Omowaiye, the governorship candidate of the party, Bola Oyebamiji, accused Adeleke of failing to fulfill electoral promises to the people.
Oyebamiji, who alleged that infrastructural amenities, health and education facilities in the state were in bad shape, assuring to address the situation if elected governor.
But spokesperson for The Imole Campaign Council insisted that APC supporters and political thugs had been engaging in violent conduct, vandalising political billboards in Irewole, Ayedaade, Irepodun, Osogbo local government areas, among others.
“Earlier, on June 3, 2026, Hon. Asimiyu Ajibola, Chairman of the Accord Party in Osogbo LGA, was reportedly shot multiple times by armed assailants linked to the APC. He remains hospitalised. Several Accord Party members have been injured and killed by alleged APC political thugs, reportedly for wearing caps and vests that identify them with the party.
“Barely two hours to Democracy Day, an APC-affiliated thug, along with others, allegedly attacked an Accord Party member in Iroye community, Ilesa. The assailants used cutlasses, sticks, an axe, and a gun, leaving the victim badly injured.
“The painful memories of political violence and the loss of innocent lives in Osun State should serve as a lesson to all political actors that elections must never be treated as warfare. Politics should be about service to the people and not a contest of intimidation.
“On a day set aside to celebrate democracy, the Osun APC must reflect deeply on its conduct and its continued inability to accept political realities. Democracy requires humility. It requires political actors to understand that no office belongs to anyone forever and that the people reserve the right to renew or withdraw their mandate,” the statement read partly.
He challenged Osun APC to present a record, a vision, and submit itself to the judgment of the electorate before seeking a return to power.
But Oyebamiji alleged that despite receiving increase in the state allocation since assumption of office, the Adeleke administration has struggled to fulfill many of the promises made to the people during the electioneering.
“One of the grand promises made by Governor Adeleke was to transform Osogbo into a new Dubai and a mini London. However, the reality confronting residents today is far removed from that promise.
“The facilities and infrastructure available in the state capital do not reflect the enormous resources that have accrued to the state government,” Oyebamiji stated.
He further alleged that the health sector in Osun has been in deplorable condition, insisting health facilities in the state were not having medical consumables, noting that the development has impacted negatively on the public rating of the Osun health service delivery.
He also accused Adeleke of sacking teachers and over health workers employed by the last APC government, and refusal to replace those sacked.
“Osun now has a record of the state with the lowest number of teachers in the Southwest region just as the state has been rated as 2nd worst state with number of abandoned health centres in the country. These ratings are unacceptable. We must stem the tide before it is too late,” he said.
He further questioned the infrastructure delivery model of the current administration, arguing that a government genuinely committed to building a 21st-century state would prioritise competence, technical capacity and value for money in the award of public contracts.
The Punch
