Osun workers, Adeleke, APC clash over US trip, LG crisis

Political tension is building up as Osun State moves gradually toward the 2026 governorship election, with opposition parties taking on the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government over sundry issues of poor leadership.

The All Progressives Congress (APC), which ruled the state for 12 consecutive years, is desperate to return to power and so uses every opportunity to criticise the government of Governor Ademola Adeleke and expose its incompetence and maladministration.

Recently, the opposition party in the state accused the governor of abandoning state affairs to enjoy himself with the state’s funds in the U.S., and executing substandard road projects and flyovers. However, the state workforce is applauding him for being faithful to the workers by paying salaries as and when due, unlike the previous APC governments that owed several months of salary.

The opposition has always alleged that the governor is abroad more than he stays home to govern, which they claim is wasting the state’s resources and leaving the state without leadership and direction.

Workers Oppose Opposition

According to the APC state Chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, who openly slammed Adeleke over his recent extended U.S. stay, he accused him of spending over N6 billion so far on foreign trips since he assumed office in 2022, saying his trips never fetched the state anything good.

APC alleged that Adeleke spent N3.1 billion on foreign trips in just the first half of 2025, N1.2 billion in 2024, and N753 million in 2023, without any tangible foreign investment to show for it. He also said Adeleke had been exhibiting a carefree attitude and not focusing on vital issues pertaining to governance.

APC further alleged that Adeleke left the state for over a month without proper procedure, claiming he was there to prepare for his nephew’s wedding and prioritising that over state affairs.

But in a twist, the entire workforce in Osun State pledged their loyalty to the governor as they displayed a solidarity rally to welcome him back from the alleged extended trip to the U.S., which his opponents castigated him for.

The public servants, in solidarity, trooped out in their thousands in what they called an appreciation “solidarity rally” in support of Governor Adeleke for all his support and care for Osun workers since he took over the state governance in 2022.

The workers, who were led by the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina, assembled at the secretariat gate, dancing and singing for the governor, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Osun Workers are solidly with you,” “Imole is 4+4,” “We won’t go to Egypt Again,” and “Deep thanks to Imole,” among others.

All the various labour leaders, led by the chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for Osun State, Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, reaffirmed the workers’ endorsement of the governor for a second term, describing Adeleke’s government as a workers’ government.

“We assemble here to thank you for all you do for workers. You are one of us as a leader who cares deeply for us. Let the whole world know that Osun workers remain firmly behind our governor now and all the time.”

Also, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bimbo Fasasi, justified workers’ love for the government of Adeleke, as he said that the governor remained consistent in addressing workers’ needs and aspirations.

“We are totally with the governor. We reject any attempt to drag Osun back to the evil past. We are out in show of force to affirm our backing for Mr. Governor. See us in our thousands; we love you, Mr. Governor,” the NUT chairman expressed.

The Osun State chairman of NULGE, which is still in limbo and whose workers are not yet sure of when they would resume in view of the controversy facing the implementation and various interpretations of the Supreme Court verdict, Comrade Kehinde Ogungbangbe, said, “It is illegal to open local governments’ accounts without statutory members of the union as signatories.”

According to him, “It amounts to impersonation to replace statutory signatories as provided by law with APC members. Such an account is illegal and in contravention of state finance law.
“We are sending a message to the Ministers of Justice and Finance that Osun workers are with the governor and the state government on the local government crisis. We are for the rule of law, and our governor is right before the law.

“We thank Mr. Governor for continuously paying workers’ salaries despite the seizure of the local government allocations. If they were still in power, APC would stop the salaries of local workers,” Ogungbangbe remarked.

The Joint Negotiation Committee Chairman, Comrade Lekan Adediran, backed the positions of NLC, TUC, and NULGE, saying, “Osun workers are united in their endorsement of Governor Adeleke for a second term.”

Reciprocal Appreciation

Governor Adeleke described the solidarity rally as a “manifestation of true love and endorsement by Osun workers.”
“I am overwhelmed by your show of love since I took over in 2022. I reaffirm my support for workers’ welfare, the first item on my five-point agenda.

“Expect more goodies and services. I urge you to collect your voter cards. Mobilise your members and families. Let us sustain good governance now and in the future. Use your vote for continuity of responsive leadership and democratic dividends,” he said.

This new endorsement of Governor Adeleke for a second term would be the second this year, with the first during the 2025 May Day rally.

Contending Interests

Former governor Gboyega Oyetola’s withdrawal from the race gave other members of the APC, who had been nursing ambitions but could not show interest because of Oyetola, the chance to flood the gate which the former governor has opened.

With this development, the array of aspirants now coming out from the APC and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s current movements further heighten the already tense situation, creating uncertainty as the political parties in the ring are unsure of who wins the battle.
Going by the records, Osun West in this ongoing political dispensation, which began in 1999, is just having a bite, whereas Osun Central had produced three governors, namely, Chief Bisi Akande of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the PDP, and Alhaji Oyetola of the APC; and Osun East, which had Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, spent eight years.

With the former deputy governor and former national secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, from Osun East, other aspirants, such as Basiru Ajibola and others from Osun Central, joining the race, those from Osun West are not happy, and the situation is now going to give room for a tight contest amongst the aspirants from all the zones in the party.

Omisore, who people believed had no intention before his recent declaration, is tipped as the strongest of the aspirants in his party, who has everything including the numerical voting strength from Ile Ife to face Adeleke.

Business Hallmark learnt that the sudden declaration by Omisore had the connection of the presidency, as it was further said that this has been in the pipeline since President Bola Tinubu won the ticket of APC, which sources said Omisore contributed greatly to making possible as the national secretary of the party, who thwarted all the efforts made by the North and the then national chairman of the party to truncate President Tinubu’s ambition.

It was disclosed that immediately Asiwaju won the primary, he specifically asked Omisore to start preparing for the governorship in 2026.

However, Adeleke’s loyalists pointed out that bringing Omisore into the contest would put them at a good advantage, while it would further highlight the internal crisis in which the APC is engulfed.

Meanwhile, Aregbesola, who is a third force, claimed that he would work to ensure that neither the APC nor the PDP wins the next governorship election.

Chairman of the PDP, Sunday Bisi, said in a phone chat that the party is sure of beating its opponents because Adeleke is loved and is currently enjoying the support of the masses in the state, who would vote massively for him in the coming election.

The APC spokesperson in Osun State, Kola Olabisi, said that the PDP should know by now that Adeleke is going nowhere in 2026.
He said the defection of key people in the party to the APC shows that the party has become a carcass and that no reasonable politician with integrity would want to remain there.