Osun 2026: Adeleke Hits Back Very Hard At Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has come out swinging in response to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s recent remarks threatening to unseat him in the upcoming 2026 elections. In a blistering statement released by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke accused Aregbesola of leaving behind a trail of destruction during his time in office and declared that Osun people have not forgotten the hardship they endured under his watch.

Describing Aregbesola’s tenure as “the worst in Osun’s history,” Adeleke said the former governor’s “empty boast” about reclaiming power in 2026 only reveals a “troubled mind haunted by the suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people.”

“He left behind a legacy of huge debts, half salaries, scam tablets, and several inflated and uncompleted projects,” the statement noted, adding that Aregbesola “should be remorseful and tender public apologies” rather than threatening a sitting governor.

The statement listed several “sins” of the former governor, including the introduction of half salaries for workers, alleged mismanagement of pension and cooperative funds, and policies that caused widespread suffering among workers and pensioners.

According to Adeleke’s team, the current administration has already paid 28 months’ worth of outstanding half salaries and cleared nearly ₦60 billion in pension debts attributed to Aregbesola’s tenure. It also claimed that Adeleke’s government has reduced Osun’s debt burden by 40 percent without borrowing a single kobo for its projects.

“In less than three years, Governor Adeleke has surpassed the achievements of Mr Aregbesola’s eight years,” the statement continued, listing the construction of 200 kilometers of roads, rehabilitation of schools and health centers, free health insurance for over 30,000 pensioners, and over 60,000 surgeries for residents, among other accomplishments.

The governor’s camp also took aim at specific unfulfilled projects under Aregbesola, pointing to ongoing infrastructure developments under Adeleke’s watch, such as the dualisation of major roads and flyovers in Ile-Ife, Osogbo, and Iwo.

“Osun people know the difference between their past and present governors. The worst era in Osun State remains that of Mr Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners died, lives were upended, and the state was buried in unsustainable debt,” the statement read.

The governor’s spokesperson said the people of Osun would not forget the “dark days” and dismissed Aregbesola’s remarks as delusional. “2026 is a payback time,” the statement declared. “Osun people will punish the former governor and his new party for the pain they endured during his eight-year rule.”