Ahead of the Osun State governorship poll scheduled For Saturday 15, August, 2026, the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday, 5 August, 2026 alleged that his predecessor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of masterminding what he described as a coordinated campaign of intimidation, killing and arrests targeted at members of the Accord Party(AP), reports thegazellenews.com.
Adeleke made the allegation through a a statement posted on his official X on Wednesday, 5 August, 2026 while reacting to recent developments surrounding his administration, including the freezing of the state government’s bank accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the Governor, Osun State has in recent months witnessed what he described as the deliberate disruption of local government administration, attacks on residents, repeated police raids and the arrest of party members without lawful justification.
Adeleke also alleged that more than 60 Accord Party members had been arrested and taken to Abuja, where they remain in detention without formal charges.
“You are aware of constant police raids and arrest of Accord leaders for no reason and without any warrant of arrest. Several Accord members have been killed and 60 Accord members have been arrested and taken to Abuja and detained without any charges,” Adeleke said, just as he further accused Oyetola of being behind the alleged actions, insisting they were politically motivated.
“All these intimidation and attacks were carried out on the order of Gboyega Oyetola over an election his candidate cannot win,” he alleged.
According to the Governor, the alleged intimidation of political opponents undermines democratic principles and threatens the rule of law, warning that continued abuse of state institutions could erode Nigeria’s democracy.
“We are supposed to be in a democracy where the Rule of Law must always prevail. We will not accept a situation where federal agencies trample on the constitutional rights of sub-national governments. This is a threat to our democracy,” he stated.
Despite the developments, Adeleke also maintained that his administration and party would continue their campaign activities ahead of the governorship election.
“As for me, we are pushing ahead with our campaign,” Adeleke said on his official handle.
