Adeleke Sends Strong Election Message as Osun Political Tension Deepens

(Ademola Adeleke. Photo Credit: Channels Tv)

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State and the Accord Party's candidate for governor, has stated that she is certain that voters will protect their democratic rights at the polls and that the state's citizens will not give in to intimidation ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has expressed confidence that the people of the state will resist what he described as external interference ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a post shared on social media on Thursday, Adeleke said Osun people had a long history of resisting oppression and would once again ensure their collective will prevailed despite external interference.

He wrote that throughout the state's history, its people had never bowed to intimidation, describing them as resilient, determined and fiercely protective of their rights.

He added that as the election approached, he had absolute confidence that no amount of external interference or intimidation could override the collective will of the people, insisting that the people's verdict would prevail.

The governor also claimed that independent opinion polls pointed to an impending victory for the Accord Party, which he attributed to the achievements of his administration, citing progress in infrastructure, education, healthcare, workers' welfare and pension reforms.

He said the polls consistently pointed to a clear and decisive victory for his party because the people could see and feel the impact of his administration's work across these areas, and expressed hope that, by the grace of God and with the continued support of Osun residents, a second term would build on these achievements and bring even greater progress to every community.

He described the best days of the state as still ahead, and urged residents to remain united and vigilant, vote for his party, and be prepared to defend their votes.

His comments come amid heightened political tension in the state following the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, and five others by the state police command over alleged electoral offences.

The police said the suspects were arrested during a raid on Igbalaiye's residence in Osogbo, where officers reportedly recovered N4.81 million, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register and other items believed to be linked to vote-buying and other electoral offences.

The command maintained that the arrests were based on credible intelligence and insisted that investigations were ongoing.

However, the state government and the Adeleke Campaign Organisation rejected the allegations, accusing the police of carrying out politically motivated arrests aimed at intimidating opposition figures ahead of the election.

The state government alleged that police had invaded the residences of several government officials without search warrants, while the campaign organisation claimed dozens of its supporters had been arrested and detained without lawful justification.

The police denied these allegations, insisting that only six suspects had been arrested and that the operation was carried out in line with the law.