Adeleke slams Aregbesola’s comeback bid, calls ex-Governor’s record “darkest era in Osun history”

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing response to former Governor and current National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, over his vow to unseat him in the forthcoming 2026 governorship election scheduled for August 8.

Aregbesola, while addressing supporters during a homecoming event on Sunday, had lambasted Adeleke’s leadership and pledged to reclaim Osun for the ADC in the next election cycle.

In a sharply worded statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke described Aregbesola’s tenure as “the darkest and most destructive era in Osun’s history,” citing half salary payments, uncompleted projects, and the failed Opon Imo tablet scheme as symbols of his alleged maladministration.

“A man who left behind huge debts, unpaid pensions, failed projects, and hardship for workers should not be boasting but begging for forgiveness,” the statement read.

Adeleke claimed his administration has had to mop up the economic wreckage left behind by Aregbesola, including the payment of 28 months’ half salaries and nearly ₦60 billion in pension arrears.

READ ALSO:Defections rock Osun as PDP members join APC amid Adeleke speculation

The governor also noted that the state’s debt burden has been reduced by 40%, according to the Debt Management Office, without borrowing a single naira for new projects.

Ongoing major infrastructure projects, including dual carriageways and flyovers in Ilesa, Ile Ife, Osogbo, and Iwo

“Mr. Aregbesola is haunted by his disastrous legacy. The people of Osun still remember the pain he inflicted—pensioners died waiting for payments, workers went hungry, and the state was plunged into unsustainable debt.”

The governor also accused Aregbesola of attempting to rewrite history and mislead the public.

“Osun voters are not amnesiacs. They’re not ready to return to the dark days of his governance. He is like a shrew unaware of his own stench.”

Reacting to Aregbesola’s alliance with the ADC, Adeleke’s camp dismissed the party as “a sanctuary for political opportunists,” adding that no amount of repackaging would erase the damage of Aregbesola’s eight-year rule.

“2026 is payback time,” the statement concluded. “Osun people will reject Aregbesola and his new party the same way they rejected suffering, deception, and failed leadership.

Political observers say Aregbesola’s declaration marks a turning point in Osun’s political landscape, with analysts predicting a bruising showdown between old rivals as the election season heats up.