The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s support contributed to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
Olajengbesi, while speaking on the outcome of the election, said Adeleke’s re-election was driven by his popularity and the goodwill of Osun voters.
He insisted that the governor received no political or electoral favour from the Federal Government.
Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, was declared winner after polling 19 of the 30 local government areas, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who won in 11 local governments.
According to Olajengbesi, the result reflected the desire of Osun residents to retain Adeleke in office for another term, citing his administration’s performance in infrastructure and workers’ welfare.
He said, “Adeleke’s victory is a reflection of the desire of the people of the state. It is the will of the people that Adeleke returns as governor for the second term, having performed excellently well.
“In the history of Osun State, we haven’t had a governor who has worked very well like Adeleke in the area of infrastructure. We haven’t seen a governor who has placed premium attention on the welfare of the people of the state, particularly the workforce.”
Reacting to the governor’s endorsement of Tinubu for a second term in 2027, Olajengbesi argued that the endorsement had no bearing on the election, stressing that Tinubu and the APC did not support Adeleke during the poll.
“The governor’s endorsement of Tinubu does not have anything to do with his victory. Adeleke is a very popular candidate. The people of Osun State voted for him. Tinubu did not provide any support to Adeleke,” he said.
He alleged that the APC deployed government resources in support of its candidate, adding that Adeleke secured victory independently.
Olajengbesi, however, defended Adeleke’s decision to back Tinubu in 2027, saying the endorsement was based on the governor’s assessment of the President’s impact on the finances of state governments.
He argued that increased federal allocations had enabled states to meet their obligations, pay salaries and execute infrastructure projects.
“Supporting Tinubu in 2027 is by choice for the people of Osun. However, the people have a lot of faith in Governor Adeleke, who is supporting the President,” he said.
Despite defending the endorsement, Olajengbesi acknowledged that some supporters could be unhappy with the governor’s decision, particularly because of what he described as the “fear, intimidation and harassment” allegedly experienced during the election.
He maintained that the election was “not free and fair”, but argued that Adeleke’s popularity enabled him to overcome the alleged challenges.
“The reality is that the people of Osun State went through fear, intimidation and harassment in the hands of the Federal Government. The election was not fair and free but the people won at the end of the day because the governor has strong support from the people,” he said.
On allegations that the election was heavily monetised, Olajengbesi denied that the Accord Party bought votes, instead accusing the APC of allegedly offering as much as N50,000 to voters.
He claimed that voters in his constituency collected money allegedly offered by APC agents but still voted for Adeleke.
According to him, the campaign council is preparing a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged movement of huge sums of money into the state by the APC ahead of the election.
“We are currently writing a letter to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission. I am doing that personally for the sake of posterity. EFCC must investigate the funds deployed to Osun by APC,” he said.
Olajengbesi alleged that between N60bn and N110bn was moved into the state for the election, claiming that some of the funds were brought in cash by private jet.
He also alleged that the money was distributed across the state to influence voters, urging the EFCC to investigate its source and deployment.
However, he did not provide documentary evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Olajengbesi further accused security agencies of bias during the election, claiming that more than 50 people were arrested and detained without justification.
Responding to the APC’s rejection of the election result, he described the party’s reaction as expected, arguing that the opposition party was disappointed by its defeat.
He also dismissed suggestions that the APC’s rejection represented the position of the entire party, claiming that the statement was made by the party’s campaign Director-General, Wole Oke.
“The APC is bitter about the result of the election. Hence, you cannot blame them. You can’t beat a child and tell the child not to cry,” he said.
Olajengbesi nevertheless maintained that the election produced a credible result, despite his earlier claim that the exercise was not free and fair.
He said voters were able to cast their ballots and that results were transmitted electronically before the final collation.
“The election was transparent. People voted even though it was not free and fair. The poll was credible because people voted and the results were transmitted even before it was collated. We have already seen the result on the IREV. We knew what happened; we had the result,” he said.
