Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing response to former governor and ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, over his alleged remarks suggesting plans to unseat the governor in 2026.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke dismissed Aregbesola’s remarks as “empty boasts” from a man “haunted by his disastrous legacy” in Osun State.
The governor accused Aregbesola of presiding over what he described as the darkest period in the state’s history, citing massive debts, unpaid salaries, abandoned projects, and failed policy initiatives.
“Aregbesola’s era brought pain and hardship to the people of Osun. He left behind a trail of unpaid half salaries, ballooning debt, and scam projects like the Opon Imo learning tablets,” the statement said. “He should be apologising to the people, not threatening a governor who is working to clean up his mess.”
Adeleke said his administration has made significant efforts to reverse the damage done under Aregbesola’s watch, claiming that his government has:
Paid 28 months of the half-salaries owed to workers;
Cleared almost ₦60 billion in pension arrears;
Reduced the state’s debt burden by 40%, according to the Debt Management Office;
Constructed and rehabilitated over 200 kilometers of roads and 200 public schools and health facilities;
Provided free health insurance for more than 30,000 pensioners;
Facilitated critical surgeries for over 60,000 residents;
Completed multiple abandoned infrastructure projects, including those at Osun State University;
Operationalised the long-promised University of Ilesa.
The governor challenged Aregbesola to objectively assess his achievements, pointing to ongoing flyover projects in Ile-Ife and Osogbo, and the dualisation project at Iwo, among others.
“If Aregbesola accuses Adeleke of non-performance, let him explain his failure to complete the Brewery Junction-Palace road in Ilesa during his tenure. Osun people know who served them and who exploited them,” the statement noted.
Adeleke described Aregbesola’s criticisms as a desperate attempt to stay politically relevant, adding that his poor treatment of workers, mishandling of state finances, and disregard for public welfare remain fresh in the minds of Osun residents.
“No amount of revisionism can erase the hardship that defined Aregbesola’s time in office,” Adeleke said. “He is a man at war with his political past and now seeking redemption through reckless attacks. But Osun people have not forgotten. They are wiser, and they will not return to the days of suffering.”
The statement concluded with a warning that the 2026 election would serve as “payback time” for those who, in Adeleke’s words, “wilfully inflicted pain on the people of Osun.”
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