The Imole Campaign Council has denied claims that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, attacked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the governor only appealed for presidential intervention to ensure a free and fair governorship election in the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director-General of the Imole Campaign Organisation, Senator Lere Oyewumi, the council accused the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of misrepresenting Adeleke’s remarks.
It maintained that the governor merely called Tinubu’s attention to alleged violence, intimidation and arrests targeting residents and members of the Accord Party ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“At no point did the governor attack or deride the President,” the statement read.
The campaign council said Adeleke urged Tinubu, as the country’s leader, to intervene and prevent further violence in Osun.
According to the group, the governor also asked the President to caution the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, over alleged political activities capable of worsening tensions in the state.
“Governor Adeleke only called the attention of President Tinubu to the ongoing repression and intimidation of Osun residents and urged the President to call the Marine Minister, Gboyega Oyetola, to order so as to stop a recurrence of political violence of the past,” the council said.
It added that the governor’s appeal was aimed at protecting residents and preserving the credibility of the election.
The campaign organisation repeated its allegation that seven Accord members had been killed in the past three months, while more than 20 others sustained gunshot injuries.
It also claimed that over 60 party members were being held in what it described as illegal police detention.
“The state governor only informed the President of constant killings that are driving towards genocide,” the statement said.
The council further alleged that 45 supporters of Adeleke were killed during the 2022 election period and accused the police of failing to prosecute those responsible.
It claimed that suspected APC supporters had continued to raid communities and homes belonging to Accord leaders.
The Imole Campaign Council also said Adeleke drew the President’s attention to the local government leadership dispute in Osun State.
It alleged that more than ₦350 billion belonging to the councils had been diverted and was being controlled by APC-backed officials whose tenure had expired.
“The governor only spoke the truth about the illegality across Osun local governments and urged the President to intervene for APC illegal occupants of the councils to vacate,” it said.
Responding to allegations concerning the state’s finances, the campaign organisation said the Adeleke administration had maintained transparency and due process.
It cited awards received by the state for budget transparency and its ranking in auditing responsiveness as evidence of responsible financial management.
“The lies and concoction on Osun finance levelled by the Osun APC fall flat because Osun has won several awards on budget transparency and came third nationally on auditing responsiveness,” the statement read.
It added that the administration had delivered projects and programmes across various sectors while observing established financial procedures.
