Osun 2026: We will rig Adeleke out using police, INEC - Oyetola

By Adeoye Olude

Former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola has said that it will be difficult for any aspirant who eventually emerges candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming 2026 Governorship Election to defeat the incumbent Governor of the state, Senator Ademola Adeleke, Osun Spring has learnt.

Oyetola added that to ensure that APC wins Osun in 2026, he has secured the cooperation of the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to sources present a close door meeting of top leaders of the APC in Osun on Friday at the Ilerioluwa house in Osogbo the Osun state capital, Oyetola attributed the loss of Osun APC in 2022 Governorship election to the refusal of late President Buhari to instruct INEC and the Police to work in its favour.

The source noted that he added that being close to President Bola Tinubu aided him to ensure that he blocked the move by people trying to bring Adeleke to the APC while promising President Tinubu that the party will win 2026 election as well as deliver the state for the President’s reelection come 2027.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy also announced to people stakeholders of APC in Osun state that he will not be contesting the 2026 Governorship Election asking aspirants to ensure they work effectively to win the election adding that aspirants should make sure they all work together with whoever emerges the candidate of the party.

The source disclosed that Oyetola maintained that he has stood as a guarantor for Osun APC before President Tinubu noting that if Osun APC loses come 2026 it will bring his political career to an absolute end.

The source said, “Oyetola has eventually told us that he will not be contesting for Governor in 2026. In fact he told us that Adeleke is too powerful to be defeated and he has secured the cooperation of both the Police and INEC to ensure that we win 2026 Governorship Election.

“He said that we lost the 2022 Osun Governorship election because President Buhari refused to instruct the Police and INEC to work for us.

“Oyetola said that he was the one who blocked Adeleke from joining our party, APC, he told us that he had promised President Tinubu that APC will win in Osun and the implication of this is that if APC loses, his own career as a politician has come to an end.

“He told all aspirants that they have work to do at the grassroot level and they must be ready to work together and support whoever emerges candidate of the party eventually”, the source noted.

On the local government crisis, the source noted that Oyetola said it is a deliberate strategy to frustrate the Adeleke administration making sure that he is unable to deliver campaign promises and thereby turning the people against the Governor.

The source noted that he added further that he will ensure that the money is not paid to Governor Adeleke until the end of his first term in office.

“Oyetola told us that on the issue of local government crisis, the stoppage of local government fund is a deliberate strategy they he deployed to ensure that Adeleke government is not able to achieve anything especially at the grassroot level and ultimately turn the people against him.

“Infact he told us that we should rest assured that he will make sure that Adeleke does not get the local government fund till the end of this his tenure in office”, the source added.

Aspirants in the APC for the 2026 Governorship Election are: Senator Babajide Omoworare, Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Prince Dotun Babayemi and Senator Mudashiru Hussein.

Osun Spring reports that of all the aspirants, Senator Ajibola Basiru who is also the National Secretary of the party was absent at the meeting.

Reacting to this development, the Director of Media, People’s Democratic Party in Osun State, Oladele Bamiji, noted that the decision of former Governor Oyetola not to contest is because he is aware of the popularity of Governor Adeleke and does not want to be defeated again.

The statement added that Governor Ademola Adeleke had won series of elections in the past because of the love of people behind him and is not afraid of going to poll but he is confident of victory.

“Reports have emerged that the defeated former Governor Gboyega Oyetola will not contest the 2026 governorship election in Osun State. While some have tried to sell this as a statesmanlike retreat, we see it for what it truly is – a calculated face-saving measure by a man thoroughly rejected by his people and discredited by his own actions.

“Let us refresh our memories. Governor Ademola Adeleke has been a consistent thorn in the flesh of Osun APC since 2017. Against all odds, he defeated their candidate in nine out of ten local governments in the Osun West Senatorial Bye-election held to fill the seat of his late brother, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke. That victory rewrote political calculations in Osun as well as effectively stamping a new era of electoral bravery in the people of the state.

“In 2018, Senator Adeleke again won the governorship election, only to have his victory cruelly snatched through INEC’s infamous “inconclusive” declaration, a charade supervised by Professor Fuwape of FUTA. What followed was a bloody and manipulated runoff that barely produced a 400-vote lead, fraudulently installing Gboyega Oyetola as governor.

“Mr Oyetola entered office not as a people’s choice, but as a beneficiary of electoral robbery and he knew it. Unsurprisingly, he governed with crass detachment, neglecting real development while obsessively waging a senseless war of attrition against his former boss, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, under whom he served for eight years as Chief of Staff.

“Instead of uniting the party and focusing on governance, Oyetola chose vendettas, alienated stakeholders, and distanced himself from the grassroots. He imagined that being a cousin to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave him unlimited license. But even nepotism has its limits when competence and compassion are absent.

“In 2022, the people of Osun State spoke again, louder this time. They overwhelmingly elected Governor Ademola Adeleke, who defeated Oyetola at the polls, fairly and squarely.

“Now, however, disturbing signals are emanating from a factional APC stakeholders’ meeting held at the instance of the same failed former governor. Reports say Oyetola has resumed his dangerous political games, boasting that he has secured the backing of “key institutions”- INEC and the security agencies, to hijack the 2026 elections for his party. His justification? “I am the President’s cousin.”

“He even allegedly bragged about masterminding the unlawful withholding of statutory allocations meant for local governments in Osun State, all to punish the same people he seeks to govern again. Is this how to be a cousin to the President? Weaponizing family ties to inflict suffering on ordinary citizens?

“Can such a man, who abuses access to power to deprive his people, be taken seriously when he resurfaces to lead APC campaigns in Osun? This is not just a question of morality, it is a matter of political and ethical reckoning.

“Unfortunately for him and his ilk, the people of Osun are not cowards. History has shown that they do not bow to oppressors, no matter how highly connected they may be.

“I have personally received countless communications from across the state, expressing dogged support for Governor Adeleke and the PDP. The people are not just grateful for the tangible progress achieved in the last two and a half years, they are ready for an electoral showdown. They are prepared to once again reject Oyetola and his brand of entitlement-driven politics.

“This coming election cycle will once again confirm the political resilience and maturity of Osun people. And more importantly, it will serve as a definitive lesson in how not to be a President’s cousin – by Gboyega Oyetola’s example.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be alert and beware of his pampered cousin, who appears determined to damage his political credentials and legacy just to secure a political lifeline he no longer deserves”, the statement reads.