●Says President's Endorsement is a Sign of Strength Rather Than Weakness
Oriontimes Political Desk| August 9, 2026
OSOGBO — August 9, 2026: Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of making what he described as an open threat to manipulate the August 15 governorship election, declaring that the people of the state would resist any attempt to undermine the electoral process.
Adeleke made the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, following comments attributed to Oyetola during a political engagement on Saturday.
According to the governor, Oyetola's statement, “A maa gba lowo e” , meaning “we will snatch it from him” amounted to a threat against the democratic choice of Osun voters.
The governor said his recent endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not be interpreted as a sign of political weakness, arguing instead that it demonstrated his confidence in his ability to mobilise voters and deliver electoral support for the President in Osun.
Adeleke further accused Oyetola and the Osun APC of engaging in activities that, in his assessment, could undermine the credibility of the electoral process and damage the image of President Tinubu.
He also called on national and international democracy organisations to pay close attention to the August 15 election, alleging that Accord Party supporters had been subjected to attacks and accusing elements within the police command of collaborating with political actors.
The governor alleged that a serving minister had openly threatened the credibility of the election and was seeking to deny citizens their constitutional right to freely choose their leaders.
“The bad news for the minister is that Osun people are determined to resist his sadistic agenda. Our people rejected him in 2022 and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji next Saturday,” Adeleke said.
He maintained that his administration remained confident of victory, attributing the expected outcome to what he described as broad support from Osun voters.
“As for us, we are winning this election by the grace of God and mass support of the people. We are not going to snatch the democratic rights of the people as Mr Oyetola had threatened. We will be re-elected by the choice of the voters,” the governor said.
The August 15 governorship election is expected to be closely contested, with the major political parties intensifying campaigns and mobilisation across the state ahead of the poll.
The allegations contained in the statement could not, in the material provided, be independently verified by Oriontimes.
As the election approaches, attention remains focused on the commitment of political actors, security agencies and electoral authorities to ensuring a peaceful, credible and transparent process in which voters can freely exercise their franchise.
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