Political exchanges have intensified in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, as the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration while the governor’s office issued a detailed defence of his performance.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Kola Olabisi, Director of Media and Information, APC argued that there were no compelling reasons for the electorate to return incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke to office when voters head to the polls later this year.
The statement questioned the governor’s credentials and criticised what it described as governance lapses under his administration.
According to the party, “There is no single reason under the sun why Governor Ademola Adeleke should not be shown the way out of the Okefia Government House through the August 15, 2026 governorship election.”
The APC also raised concerns about the governor’s educational qualifications, arguing that the matter had generated public debate over the years.
The party said “the constitution required that a candidate for the office of governor must possess at least a secondary school certificate. The issue surrounding Adeleke’s academic credentials had remained controversial in political discourse.”
Beyond the issue of qualifications, the opposition party accused the administration of financial mismanagement and alleged that the level of development across the state did not correspond with the revenue received by the government.
The APC claimed that the state receives an average monthly allocation of about ₦11 billion and questioned the utilisation of the funds over the past three years.
It also criticised a lack of transparency in the execution of government projects, alleging that many state initiatives lacked publicly available details regarding contractors and project costs.
The statement accused the governor of “disregarding court rulings in matters relating to local government administration and certain chieftaincy disputes across communities including Alawo of Awo, Owa or Igbajo, Akirun of Ikirun and Aree of Iree.”
Other issues raised by the APC included disputes involving the state judiciary and controversies surrounding attempts to remove the state Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo.
The party also criticised the state government over the condition of the Osun State House of Assembly complex, stating that lawmakers have been operating from alternative locations in Osogbo due to ongoing issues with the building.
The Osun APC accused the administration of favouring the governor’s hometown of Ede in the distribution of development projects and government appointments.
A major aspect of the party’s criticism focused on the recent recruitment of teachers into public schools, which it described as unfairly distributed across local government areas.
The APC alleged that a large proportion of the recruitment slots went to applicants from Ede, claiming that “out of the 876 teachers recruited, 88 slots went to Ede alone.”
The party also questioned the recruitment process, suggesting that some positions were allocated through political patronage involving party officials and government appointees.
“We condemn in its entirety the modality for the teachers’ recruitment exercise which we rate as a sham,” the statement added.
However, the Osun State Government rejected the allegations and insisted that the administration had achieved significant progress since taking office.
Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed countering said the opposition’s claims were politically motivated and did not reflect the government’s record in office.
“The statement from the Osun APC is a manifestation of its depressive political quagmire due to deepening rejection by the people,” Rasheed said in a separate response.
He stated that the governor had implemented several development initiatives across the state, including support for cooperative societies, rural development projects and agricultural programmes.
Rasheed also highlighted the implementation of healthcare initiatives and infrastructure projects, saying the administration had reconstructed more than 200 health centres and rehabilitated about 150 schools.
The spokesperson said the government had constructed hundreds of kilometres of roads and was developing major infrastructure projects, including flyovers and township road dualisation schemes.
According to him, “the administration had also improved workers’ welfare and reduced pension liabilities inherited from previous governments.”
Rasheed maintained that Governor Adeleke “remained eligible to contest the upcoming election”
“The issue of his qualifications had already been addressed by the judiciary and validated by the electoral commission.”
Osun 2026: Debate intensifies as APC, Gov Adeleke trade claims