Osun 2026: Salam Takes Swipe at Wole Oke, Backs Adeleke’s Achievements

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Osun 2026: Salam Takes Swipe at Wole Oke, Backs Adeleke’s Achievements

By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo

The lawmaker representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Hon. Bamidele Salam, has criticised the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign, Hon. Wole Oke, over his comments on the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Salam dismissed the chances of the APC in the August 15 governorship election, describing its candidate as lacking the capacity to win.

“Perhaps, the President doesn’t know that the APC has a weakling as a candidate.

He cannot even deliver his own local government, Irewole. I don’t know which four local governments they can win in Osun,” he said.

Salam maintained that Governor Adeleke has strengthened his popularity since the 2022 election, adding that his performance in office has earned him wider support among residents of the state.

“He has justified that mandate and successfully earned greater acceptability than he had when he defeated the incumbent governor in 2022.

Anyone who is committed to people’s welfare will be proud to be associated with him,” he stated.

The federal lawmaker took a direct swipe at Wole Oke, suggesting that the APC campaign director may not be fully in touch with developments in the state.

“Wole Oke is probably far away from home. I know he doesn’t come home until election periods, so maybe because of that, he doesn’t know,” Salam said.

He pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects in Oke’s local government, noting that some had been abandoned for years before the current administration intervened.

“In his own local government, there are ongoing road and bridge projects.

There is a bridge linking about five areas which had been abandoned for the past 15 years, and Hon. Wole Oke could not use his influence at the National Assembly to fix it.

It is Governor Adeleke who is fixing it,” he added.

Salam also challenged the APC chieftain to a public assessment of projects across the state.

“I am challenging him, and I don’t mind, I can foot the bill, for him and me to go round Osun State and get television stations to film these things and get to know who is saying the truth or not,” he said.

He further argued that ongoing development in key towns contradicts criticisms from the opposition.

“If Wole Oke and the APC are not happy that we are developing Osogbo, Ede and Ile-Ife, let them go out and tell the people of these local governments not to vote for them because Adeleke is concentrating resources on them,” Salam added.

On the transfer of the Resident Electoral Commissioner from Osun State to Ondo State, Salam described the decision as questionable.

“The decision to transfer the INEC REC appears to have been driven by partisan considerations and is ill-informed.

When a REC prepares for an election, many things go into it, and you don’t come in the middle of that preparation and transfer the REC without any justification or noble intent,” he said.