Does Oyetola plan to rig?

By Great Oluwaseun

Osun in the last few days have encountered series of conversations ahead of the 2026 governorship election as both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) gets ready to claim the votes of Osun people.

The conversation becomes heated as it was reported that former Governor Oyetola while meeting the Osun APC Stakeholders with exception of the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru made certain comments on the plans of the party over the governorship election.

The PDP in a statement by its chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi raised an alarm over the grand plot reportedly disclosed to the APC Stakeholders by the Minister, describing the alleged utterances as the most brazen declaration of intent to destroy democracy and a condemnable signal to abuse state power to deny Osun people the legitimate rights to choose their leader in a democracy.

The PDP while reprimanding the Minister over his alleged threats to rig the 2026 governorship elections in Osun state declared that Osun people rejects threats and intimidation as a tool for politicking, vowing that Governor Adeleke will win the 2026 election because he has solid support of the people as his governance records are superlative and he has God who gives and takes power.

The statement reads, “The Osun state chapter of the PDP is alarmed by several media reports of some inciting statements credited to the former Governor of Osun state and current Minister of Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola on his role in the withholding of Osun local governments allocations and the plan to thwart the will of electorates in the forthcoming 2026 governorship elections.

“We waited for more than 48 hours with the expectations that the Minister will deny the reports but till now, he has remained silent. We are encouraged therefore to belief that the Minister actually made those threatening remarks.

“For records purpose, the Minister was alleged to have told the closed door, high level caucus meeting of the party the following:

“I blocked Gov Adeleke from joining the APC. Otherwise, all your ambitions would have been in jeopardy.

“I gave a guarantee to Mr. President that APC can win in Osun without Governor Adeleke;

“We lost the 2022 election because Buhari refused to instruct INEC and the Police to work for APC;

“I have secured the Cooperation of the Police and INEC to ensure that APC wins the Osun 2026 Gubernatorial Election;

“I have employed federal might to prevail upon the Attorney General of the Federation not to recognize the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which clearly recognized the election of the PDP chairmen and councilors.

“The Attorney General is working on a loophole that will allow the withheld local government funds to be released to the court- sacked APC chairmen and Councilors.

“Otherwise, the Osun State withheld funds will not be released until after the Gubernatorial Election in 2026, in order to turn the grassroots against Governor Adeleke.

“As a party, we have no issue with the Minister’s position on the recent defection politics, we however challenge the Minister to deny and clarify other statements he allegedly made at the said state caucus meeting as they pose serious danger to democratic practice, undermine the credibility of critical state institutions and constitute gross abuse of powers and violations of the constitution.

“While we are of the considered view that President Bola Tinubu is not aware of the open threats to sack democracy in Osun by his cousin and the Minister of Blue economy, we call on Mr President to sanction the Minister for dragging the names of the Federal Government into disrepute.

“We also call on Mr President to counter-order the Attorney General of the Federation to obey the Court of Appeal judgement which recognizes the duly elected PDP chairmen and councilors and release Osun state local government allocations without further delay.

“We are also alerting men of goodwill and the diplomatic community of the open declaration of war on the people of Osun state by a Minister who is still bitter about his rejection at the poll by the good people of Osun state in 2022.

“We inform the global community of an open genocidal threat to democratic practice as Osun people will defend their votes irrespective of the threats from anti-democratic elements”, the PDP statement reads.

Reacting to the PDP statement, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Dr. Bolaji Akinola described the statement as a fictional allegations adding that its a desperate cry from a failing party.

The statement added that the claims in the PDP’s statement as false, malicious, and baseless adding that It is a deliberate smear campaign borne out of paranoia, fear, and desperation.

The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a shameful and poorly scripted press statement issued by Sunday Bisi, Chairman, Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The statement is riddled with lies, fabrications, and reckless propaganda aimed at maligning the person of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola (CON), and by extension, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Let it be made abundantly clear that every single claim in the PDP’s concocted tale is false, malicious, and baseless. It is nothing more than a deliberate smear campaign borne out of paranoia, fear, and desperation, as the PDP stares down the barrel of a looming defeat in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.

“Contrary to the irresponsible fabrications released by the PDP, the Honourable Minister did not — and could never have — uttered any of the statements attributed to him. The entire press statement is a classic example of political fiction-writing, reflective of a party that has become increasingly unhinged in the face of its declining popularity.

“For the records: At no point did the Honourable Minister threaten to rig any election. He remains a firm believer in democracy and the rule of law — a legacy he upheld throughout his tenure as Governor of Osun State and continues to embody in his current capacity as Minister.

“The Honourable Minister has no control, nor has he ever claimed to control INEC, the Police, or the Attorney General of the Federation. The wild claims about “federal might” are not only laughable but an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence and democratic institutions.

“The allegations concerning local government allocations and court rulings are mischievous distortions* by a party trying to mask its own incompetence in governance and failure to engage constructively on matters of public interest.

“The PDP’s ridiculous resort to dragging the diplomatic community into their web of lies speaks volumes about their intentions — *to incite, confuse, and distract* the public from the real issues plaguing Osun State under their watch.

“We challenge the PDP to produce any verifiable evidence — audio, video, or minutes of the alleged meeting — to support these outrageous claims. Until then, the world should treat their statement as nothing but what it is: the dying gasp of a political party on the verge of another resounding electoral defeat.

“The Honourable Minister and the APC remain committed to free, fair, and credible elections in Osun State and across Nigeria. We urge the good people of Osun to ignore the distractions of the PDP and stay focused on the mission to restore competent, people-oriented governance in 2026.

“Enough of the theatrics. Osun deserves better than a party that governs by press release and paranoia.”

Osun Spring reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed August 8, 2026 as the date for Osun 2026 Governorship Election but while all the stakeholders in the PDP seems to have adopted Senator Ademola Adeleke as the party’s flag bearer while the APC may have a long way to go in selecting its flagbearer.