The Osun State Government has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of panic and desperation over the growing electoral popularity of the Accord Party ahead of the 2026 governorship election, declaring that the ruling party’s rising acceptance has unsettled the opposition.
Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, made the allegation in a statement on Sunday while reacting to calls by APC chieftains for the deregistration of the Accord Party.
According to Rasheed, the APC’s sustained attacks on Accord and its alleged attempts to prevent Governor Adeleke from contesting the 2026 election are clear signs of fear of the electorate.
The statement reads partly: “As the APC is desperately working to financially strangulate Osun State by withholding local government allocations in the evil scheme to punish the voters into submission, it is equally plotting to destroy the ruling party in the state. That is not democracy; that is a recipe for democratic chaos.
“The APC strategy so far is built on undemocratic plots and scheming rather than contend with the electorate who have serious questions for Mr Bola Oyebamiji and the top hierarchy of the APC. If the APC is sure of its electoral potency, the party should drop the evil plot to destroy the Accord and let the fight be taken to the voters.
“Governor Adeleke has delivered in several sectors as attested to by local and international observers. In this yuletide period, Osun diaspora across the world are seeing first-hand and hearing testimonies about the impressive performance of Governor Adeleke in the last three years.
“We challenge the APC candidate to run on his party’s records from 2018 to 2022 across the sectors. Governor Adeleke is running on his own records from 2022 to date. And comparing the two eras, the jury is out — Governor Adeleke surpassed 12 years of APC rule under three years.”
Rasheed also took a swipe at the lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Hon Wole Oke, describing his call for the deregistration of Accord as unconstitutional and legally unsustainable.
He accused Oke of engaging in what he described as political “overtime” to impress former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, whom he mockingly referred to as the “emperor of Iragbiji.”
The spokesperson said the lawmaker’s posture reflected the consequences of political betrayal, adding that Accord had rapidly emerged as a credible and winning platform within a short period of its unveiling by Governor Adeleke.
Rasheed further questioned why the APC governorship candidate appeared reluctant to face voters, insisting that the party’s alleged preference for legal and administrative manoeuvres over open competition undermined democratic norms.
Highlighting the Adeleke administration’s record, the spokesperson said the governor had delivered tangible results across critical sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, sports development, pension payments and economic empowerment.
He noted that Osun State had risen from 33rd position to seventh in national NECO and WAEC rankings, emerged as the best-performing state in primary healthcare in the South-West, and recorded massive road construction across the state.
Rasheed added that over ₦100 billion had been paid to clear pension and half-salary arrears, while billions of naira had been invested in cooperatives, artisans and agricultural inputs, boosting local productivity and livelihoods.
The spokesperson challenged the APC’s candidate, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, to a public policy debate, urging him to account for his stewardship as Managing Director of the Osun Investment Company and as Commissioner for Finance.
He called on APC to abandon what he described as shortcuts to power and submit itself to the will of the electorate in a free and fair poll, expressing confidence that Osun voters would renew Governor Adeleke’s mandate on August 8, 2026.
