Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has criticised Rauf Aregbesola, accusing the former governor and now Interim National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of leaving a trail of debts and unfinished projects during his tenure.
Aregbesola, who led Osun from 2010 to 2018, had publicly maintained a cordial relationship with Adeleke since the latter assumed office in November 2022. However, tensions appear to have surfaced following Aregbesola’s recent visit to Osogbo, where he rallied supporters and urged residents to embrace the ADC, claiming the party was set to reclaim Osun in 2026.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke accused Aregbesola of threatening to influence the outcome of the 2026 governorship election. He slammed the former governor for leaving what he described as a legacy of financial recklessness and hardship.
“A man who left a legacy of huge state debt, half salary, scam learning tablets (Opon Imo), and several fanciful, inflated, uncompleted projects,” Adeleke said. “Your tenure is the worst in Osun history. The empty boast of Mr Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind who sees the wrong vision, is battling his benefactor and is haunted by the pains and suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people through his evil policies and programmes.”
He added that rather than make threats, Aregbesola should be apologising for his years of what he termed “maladministration.” According to Adeleke, his administration has been working to fix the damage left behind, including clearing arrears and resuming abandoned projects.
“Mr Aregbesola’s wickedness against workers, public servants, and Osun people knows no bounds while he wielded state power,” he said.
The governor further disclosed that he had paid off 28 months’ worth of half salaries and nearly ₦60 billion in pension liabilities incurred under Aregbesola’s administration. “Pensioners and workers generally are not praying for a return to the evil days of a bad administrator who left his state in ruin after eight years,” he stated.
Adeleke highlights his administration’s performance
Highlighting his administration’s performance, Adeleke said that in under three years, more had been achieved than during Aregbesola’s entire tenure, all without taking new loans. He claimed a 40% reduction in state debt and detailed several achievements.
“If Aregbesola is to accuse Governor Adeleke of non-performance, we await his review of the dualisation of palace to brewery junction at Ilesa, which he failed to achieve while in office,” the statement added. “He should check out the flyover projects at Ile Ife and Osogbo and the dualisation projects ongoing at Iwo, among others.”
Adeleke voiced confidence in the support of Osun residents ahead of the 2026 election, asserting that they would reject any attempt by Aregbesola to return to power.
“Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun State is that of Mr Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives, thousands of lives were disrupted, and the state plunged into unsustainable debt, still hurting the state to date. No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the dark days,” the governor stated.
He concluded by predicting that 2026 would serve as a reckoning for the former governor and the ADC, saying it would be a time when Osun people would “punish those who brought them suffering.”
