Osun APC Overwhelmed by Accord’s Sudden Electoral Popularity – Adeleke’s Aide

The spokesperson to Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is jittery and overwhelmed by the sudden rise and growing popularity of the Accord Party, the governor’s new political platform.

In a statement personally signed by him, Rasheed described Accord as “a potent, popular and winning platform” for Governor Adeleke ahead of the 2026 governorship election, arguing that the APC’s persistent attacks on the party were driven by fear rather than democratic competition.

According to him, the opposition party’s fixation with what he termed “illegal and unconstitutional plots” against Accord stems from its realisation that the party has rapidly become a vehicle of victory since its unveiling by the governor.

Rasheed was responding to a call by Hon. Wole Oke for the deregistration of Accord, which he dismissed as “uneducated and desperate”. He mocked the lawmaker for what he described as working overtime to please his “new masters”, particularly former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, whom he referred to as the “emperor of Iragbiji”.

The spokesperson said Oke had reduced himself to a laughing stock in his bid to curry favour with the APC leadership, accusing him of engaging in open advocacy for illegality after realising that Accord has emerged as a formidable political force within a short time.

He urged the lawmaker to come to terms with the consequences of his political decisions, saying he should “embrace the reality of rejection and isolation” resulting from what he described as betrayal of his former political base.

Rasheed further questioned the obsession of the APC leadership with attempts to remove Accord from the electoral register or prevent Governor Adeleke from contesting the 2026 election, asking why the party’s governorship candidate was afraid of facing voters who, he said, were already determined to re-elect the incumbent.

He accused the APC of plotting to undermine democracy in Osun State by allegedly withholding local government allocations as a means of punishing voters.

“As the APC is desperately working to financially strangulate Osun State by withholding local government allocations in an evil scheme to punish voters into submission, it is equally plotting to destroy the ruling party in the state. That is not democracy; it is a recipe for democratic chaos,” Rasheed said.

He added that the APC’s strategy was based on undemocratic scheming rather than presenting its record to the electorate.

“If the APC is confident of its electoral strength, it should abandon these plots against Accord and take its case directly to the voters,” he said.

Rasheed listed what he described as Governor Adeleke’s achievements across key sectors, including primary healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, sports, science and innovation, pension payments and economic empowerment.

According to him, Osun State has moved from 33rd to seventh position in NECO and WAEC performance rankings, emerged as the best-performing state in the South-West in primary healthcare, constructed over 250 kilometres of roads, paid more than ₦100 billion in pension and half-salary arrears, and disbursed nearly ₦4 billion to cooperatives and artisans.

He also cited reforms in the sports sector, including the ongoing five-star upgrade of the Osogbo City Stadium, improved support for farmers through tractors and inputs, and increased investment driven by improved ease of doing business and public-private partnerships.

“We challenge the APC candidate to campaign on his party’s record from 2018 to 2022. Governor Adeleke is running on his record from 2022 to date. When the two eras are compared, the verdict is clear: Governor Adeleke surpassed 12 years of APC rule in under three years,” Rasheed said.

He further challenged the APC governorship candidate, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, to a public policy debate, saying he should be prepared to account for his tenure at the Osun Investment Promotion Agency and as Commissioner for Finance.

Rasheed concluded by urging the APC to embrace democratic values by abandoning what he described as shortcuts to power and allowing the people to decide freely at the polls.

“We task the APC to demonstrate respect for democracy by submitting to the will of the people and being courageous enough to accept the verdict when, on August 8, 2026, the voters reject the APC and its candidate,” he stated.