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Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has launched an attack on former governor Rauf Aregbesola, accusing him of leaving behind a “legacy of debt, hardship, and failed projects” during his eight years as governor of Osun State.
The current governor’s remarks came in response to Aregbesola’s recent declaration that his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), would unseat Adeleke in the 2026 elections.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke described Aregbesola’s tenure as “the worst in Osun history,” alleging that the state is still recovering from what he called “inhumane and reckless” policies.
“The empty boast of Mr Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind who sees wrong visions, who is battling his benefactor, and who is haunted by the pains and suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people through his evil policies and programmes,” the statement read.
Adeleke, who took office in late 2022, accused his predecessor of inflicting severe economic pain on workers and pensioners, citing the controversial half-salary policy and mismanagement of pension funds.
“A man who introduced half salary, misapplied the contributory state pension fund, and misused the state cooperative deductions fund should be ashamed of his temerity to attack a governor who is now paying up the half salary affliction, clearing the unjustified debt, and rehabilitating brutalised Osun workers,” he said.
The governor claimed that his administration has paid 28 months of the backlogged half salaries inherited from Aregbesola’s government and has cleared nearly N60 billion in pension debt.
“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,” Adeleke stated.
Highlighting his own achievements, the governor said he has overseen the construction of over 200 kilometres of roads, the rehabilitation of more than 200 schools and health centres, and the provision of free health insurance for over 30,000 pensioners, all without borrowing.
“If Aregbesola is looking for failure, he should look in the mirror,” Adeleke said. “He couldn’t dualise the palace-to-brewery junction road in Ilesa, but we are now executing flyovers in Ife and Osogbo and dualisation projects in Iwo.”
Adeleke further dismissed Aregbesola’s political threats, framing the 2026 election as a referendum on the former governor’s legacy.
“Under Aregbesola, pensioners died in despair, and lives were shattered by unpaid salaries and debt. No one in Osun wants to return to those dark days,” he said. “The year 2026 will be a reckoning—the people will punish those who brought them suffering and pain.”
The governor concluded with a sharp rebuke, likening Aregbesola to “a shrew that does not realise it reeks.” His statement marks one of the most direct confrontations between the two political figures, setting the stage for a fierce battle ahead of the next governorship election.
Aregbesola, who served as Osun governor from 2010 to 2018 and later as Minister of Interior under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has yet to respond to Adeleke’s latest accusations. However, his alignment with the ADC suggests a growing opposition movement aiming to challenge the incumbent administration.
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