Osun 2026: Adeleke Camp Tears Into APC Candidate Oyebamiji, Says Promises Cannot Erase 'Years Of Failed Governance'

 

By Abdulahi Musa 

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing attack on the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, accusing him of seeking electoral support with promises his party allegedly failed to fulfil during its years in power.

The council's reaction followed Oyebamiji's official campaign flag-off, where he pledged equitable development across Osun State and promised to rehabilitate roads, improve public schools and healthcare facilities, revive agriculture, modernise markets and enhance the welfare of civil servants if elected in the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the council described the APC candidate's campaign as "a catalogue of recycled promises," arguing that the party was asking Osun residents to trust commitments it had failed to implement while it controlled the state government.

According to the council, the APC's current campaign message amounts to an admission that the previous administration left major sectors of the state underdeveloped.

"It is ironic that those who governed Osun for years are now campaigning on projects they neglected when they had the opportunity to deliver them," the statement said.

The council insisted that elections should be determined by measurable performance rather than campaign rhetoric, maintaining that Governor Adeleke's administration has produced visible results in infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers' welfare and economic empowerment.

To support its position, the campaign organisation claimed that the Adeleke administration enrolled over 24,000 pensioners and more than 10,000 persons living with disabilities into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, noting that pensioners and persons with disabilities were not covered under the previous APC administration.

It further alleged that the current government cleared outstanding hazard allowance arrears owed to health workers, rehabilitated more than 200 primary healthcare centres across the state and positioned Osun to emerge first in national primary healthcare awards in 2024 and 2025.

The statement also claimed that the Adeleke administration disbursed over N2 billion to cooperative societies and small business owners while providing grants of N250,000 each to more than 15,000 businesses across the state.

On education and agriculture, the council said the government recruited over 2,000 teachers, constructed more than 300 classrooms and provided financial support to over 8,000 farmers, with some beneficiaries reportedly receiving grants of up to N8 million.

The campaign organisation further claimed that the state's domestic debt had been reduced from N148 billion inherited from the immediate past administration to N83 billion.

The council also directed criticism at Oyebamiji's tenure as Commissioner for Finance under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, alleging that workers and pensioners suffered poor welfare while critical infrastructure deteriorated under the APC government.

According to the statement, the APC candidate now faces the burden of explaining why the projects he is promising were not executed when his party had control of the state's resources and institutions.

"What prevented the APC from rehabilitating roads, renovating schools, strengthening healthcare services and improving workers' welfare when it was in government?" the council asked.

The council argued that political manifestos must be assessed alongside a candidate's record in public office, insisting that Osun voters should compare past performance with present promises before making their decision at the polls.

It also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects in Ile-Ife, including the construction of a flyover and dual carriageway, as evidence of what it described as Governor Adeleke's commitment to balanced development across the state.

Responding to allegations by the APC that the Adeleke administration had deceived residents, the council said Osun people were capable of judging the government's performance by the projects visible in their communities rather than campaign speeches.

While urging political parties to maintain civility throughout the electioneering period, the council noted that Governor Adeleke recently participated in the Peace and Accountability Charter initiative, describing it as evidence of his commitment to peaceful, issue-based politics.

The council maintained that the August 15 governorship election presents Osun voters with what it described as a clear choice between "a government with a demonstrable record of performance" and "a party seeking another opportunity on the strength of promises that remained largely unfulfilled during its previous years in office."

It expressed confidence that voters would return Governor Adeleke for a second term, insisting that the state should sustain what it called its current trajectory of inclusive governance and development.