Oyetola To Adeleke: Endorsement Won’t Save You From Defeat in Osun

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, has warned Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, that his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu will not prevent the All Progressives Congress from reclaiming the state in Saturday’s governorship election.

In a report by Punch, Oyetola made the statement on Saturday while addressing APC stakeholders and supporters in Osun State.

He stated that Adeleke’s claims of intimidation against members of the Accord Party and APC ahead of the August 15 election were signs that the governor was becoming increasingly worried about the poll.

The former Osun governor, who lost his re-election bid to Adeleke in the 2022 governorship election, was responding to allegations that APC members and Accord Party leaders were being intimidated ahead of the election.

Speaking in Yoruba, Oyetola said Adeleke’s complaints suggested that the governor had realised he was losing control of the state.

He also dismissed Adeleke’s endorsement of President Tinubu, insisting that such an endorsement would not stop the APC from defeating the incumbent.

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Oyetola said, “They realised that they are already losing out. Then they claimed to have endorsed us. He almost cried. Endorsement cannot retain this seat for you. We are taking it over.

“If you like, make 10 endorsements, we will collect this one from you.”

The minister also mocked Adeleke over his frequent references to him, saying he had deliberately refrained from engaging the governor in public exchanges.

He said, “If he sleeps and has nightmares, he will say he saw me. If his wife gave him food late, he would say I’m responsible for that.

“My name is so sweet in his mouth. Meanwhile, we are not even interested in his case. If we get interested in his case, he will feel it.”

Adeleke is seeking another term in office on the platform of the Accord Party and will face APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and other contenders in the August 15 poll.

The election has emerged as a closely watched contest between Adeleke and Oyebamiji, with both camps stepping up their campaigns and exchanging allegations of intimidation and political violence.

Adeleke and his supporters have accused the Oyetola-led APC of intimidating Accord Party members following reported arrests and raids on the residences of some party leaders and senior government officials.

The APC has denied the allegations and maintained its campaign to return to power in the state after losing the governorship to Adeleke in 2022.

Oyetola governed Osun from 2018 to 2022 before losing his re-election bid to Adeleke in a closely contested election. The two political rivals are again on opposing sides as the APC seeks to reclaim the state.