Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has attacked Rauf Aregbesola, his predecessor, calling his eight-year term the worst in Osun’s history.
This is in reaction to Aregbesola’s remarks made on Sunday while speaking to African Democratic Congress (ADC) supporters in Osogbo.
According to the DAILY POST, Aregbesola had bragged that by 2026, the ADC would overthrow the Adeleke-led government.
In response, Adeleke said Aregbesola has no moral authority to speak in a statement signed by his spokeswoman, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday. Adeleke also accused Aregbesola of leaving behind a legacy of institutional degradation, financial mismanagement, and misery.
“The empty boast of Mr. Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind battling his benefactor and haunted by the suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people through his evil policies and programmes,” Adeleke said.
He accused Aregbesola of mismanaging workers’ welfare by introducing the controversial half salary policy, misusing contributory pension funds, and withholding cooperative deductions from civil servants.
“A man who should be remorseful and tender public apologies for his years of maladministration has the audacity to attack a Governor who is paying up the half salary affliction, clearing unjustified debts, and rehabilitating brutalized Osun workers,” the governor added.
Adeleke revealed that his government has already paid 28 months of the half salaries that Aregbesola’s administration owed and paid off nearly N60 billion in pension debt. He criticized Aregbesola for putting the state in an unmanageable debt cycle that, he claimed, is still having an impact on Osun’s financial situation today.
The governor warned that 2026 will be a payback year, with Osun people rejecting the return of what he called the “dark days of Aregbesola’s rule,” while also calling Aregbesola a shrew who is unaware of his odor.
An early start to the political competition ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship race is indicated by the verbal sparring between the current and past governors.
About The Author
