Adeleke carpets Aregbesola, says Osun people won’t forget his ‘evil legacy’ as governor

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has responded sharply to former Interior Minister and interim National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, over his reported threats to unseat him in 2026.

In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, Governor Adeleke said Aregbesola lacked the moral authority to speak on governance, accusing him of leaving behind a legacy of “inhumane maladministration” during his eight years as governor of the state.

Describing Aregbesola’s administration as “the worst in Osun’s history,” Adeleke said the former governor plunged the state into huge debts, implemented anti-worker policies like half salaries, and wasted public funds on inflated, abandoned projects such as the Opon Imo learning tablets.

“The empty boast of Mr Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind who is haunted by the pains and suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people,” the statement read. “Rather than tender public apologies, he has the audacity to attack Governor Adeleke, who is busy cleaning up the mess left behind.”

Adeleke accused Aregbesola of treating workers and pensioners with disdain, citing policies like half salary payments, mismanagement of contributory pension funds, and misuse of cooperative deductions.

He said the current administration has paid 28 months of the outstanding half salaries left behind by Aregbesola, and nearly ₦60 billion in pension arrears. “Pensioners and workers are not praying for a return to the dark days of maladministration,” he added.

The statement also highlighted what it described as Adeleke’s achievements in less than three years in office, claiming he has outperformed the Aregbesola administration without taking any new loans.

According to Rasheed, Adeleke’s government has:

Reduced Osun’s debt burden by 40%, as confirmed by the Debt Management Office;

Constructed about 200 kilometers of roads;

Rehabilitated over 200 schools and health centres;

Enrolled more than 30,000 pensioners in a free health insurance scheme;

Facilitated critical surgeries for over 60,000 residents;

Completed abandoned projects at Osun State University;

Made the University of Ilesa a functional institution.

The statement challenged Aregbesola to assess Adeleke’s infrastructure strides such as the dualisation of Palace to Brewery Junction in Ilesa, flyovers in Ile-Ife and Osogbo, and the ongoing dualisation project in Iwo, which he allegedly failed to deliver during his time in office.

“Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era in Osun’s history was under Aregbesola,” the statement continued. “Thousands of lives were disrupted, pensioners died in neglect, and the state was plunged into unsustainable debt. No voter is ready to return to that era.”

Rasheed dismissed Aregbesola’s ambition and accusations as “a blurry vision of another world,” saying the people of Osun have endorsed Adeleke’s leadership, especially his local content policy, non-borrowing stance, and people-first governance style.

“Mr Aregbesola is like a shrew unaware of its own stench,” the statement concluded. “Come 2026, Osun people will repay him and his new party for the hardship inflicted during his tenure.”