By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Osogbo, July 14, 2025
In what appears to be one of the most stinging political attacks in recent Osun State history, Governor Ademola Adeleke has issued a scathing response to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his alleged ambition to reclaim political relevance in 2026.
The fiery war of words began after Aregbesola reportedly threatened to unseat Adeleke in the next gubernatorial election. But the incumbent governor, through his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, fired back with a strongly worded statement that accused the ex-governor of leaving behind what he described as a “legacy of pain, debt, and suffering.”
“Osun is still reeling from the inhumane maladministration inflicted by Aregbesola during his eight-year tenure,” the statement said, describing the former governor as “a man who should be begging for forgiveness, not plotting a comeback.”
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Governor Adeleke did not mince words. He lambasted Aregbesola for introducing the widely criticized half salary policy, mismanaging pension funds, and abandoning several inflated, incomplete projects—many of which the current administration claims to have now completed or rehabilitated.
Adeleke’s government claimed to have paid 28 months’ worth of the half-salaries owed to workers, cleared nearly ₦60 billion in pension debt, and achieved major infrastructural milestones—“without borrowing a single kobo,” a jab clearly aimed at his predecessor’s debt-heavy tenure.
The statement further warned Aregbesola that “Osun people are not forgetful,” asserting that voters still remember the days when pensioners died in anguish, workers were demoralized, and the state spiraled into unsustainable debt.
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Referring to Aregbesola as “a shrew who doesn’t know he smells” (Asin ti o mo pe ohun unrun), the governor’s spokesperson said 2026 would be “payback time” for the former governor and “his new party.”
Political analysts say the timing of this verbal battle is significant, as the 2026 election cycle begins to gather momentum. Aregbesola, who has largely operated in the shadows since leaving office, appears to be reemerging with political ambitions, possibly outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) mainstream, where he once held considerable sway.
However, Governor Adeleke, riding high on his administration’s record—at least by his own assessment—has drawn a line in the sand. “No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the dark days,” the statement concluded, doubling down on the governor’s commitment to what his camp calls “people-first governance.”
The former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is yet to issue an official response to the blistering attack.
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As political tempers rise, Osun appears headed for a fierce and controversial political season—one that may resurrect old wounds and redefine the state’s political alliances.
