Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has fired back at former Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his recent remarks and threats to unseat him in the 2026 election, stating that the people of Osun are still suffering from the consequences of Aregbesola’s misrule.
In a statement issued on Monday in Osogbo by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke described Aregbesola’s tenure as “the worst in Osun’s history,” accusing him of leaving behind a legacy of hardship, debt and destruction.
“Aregbesola is a man who left a legacy of huge state debt, half salary, scam tablets and several fanciful, inflated and uncompleted projects,” the statement read. “His eight years in office remain a dark chapter in the history of our state. Yet, he has the audacity to threaten a governor who is cleaning up the mess he left behind.”
The governor said that Aregbesola’s comment about removing him in 2026 was not only laughable but also a sign of a man haunted by his own past failures.
“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,” Adeleke said.
The statement further accused Aregbesola of wickedness towards public servants, recalling how his administration introduced half salary payments and mishandled pension and cooperative funds.
“The Adeleke administration has paid 28 months out of the half salary backlog left behind by Mr Aregbesola. Over ₦60 billion in pension debt has also been cleared — another unfortunate legacy of the former governor,” the statement noted.
It also highlighted Adeleke’s performance, claiming the current administration has outperformed Aregbesola’s eight-year tenure in less than three years without borrowing a kobo for infrastructure development.
“Governor Adeleke has constructed about 200 kilometers of roads, rehabilitated over 200 schools and health centres, placed over 30,000 pensioners on free health insurance, and conducted critical medical surgeries for over 60,000 Osun residents,” the statement said.
Other achievements mentioned include the completion of abandoned projects at Osun State University, the successful establishment of the University of Ilesa, and ongoing dualisation and flyover projects across major towns.
Adeleke challenged Aregbesola to review his performance with specific reference to projects like the dualisation of the palace to brewery junction in Ilesa, which he failed to execute during his time in office.
“Osun people know their past and present governors. The worst era for Osun was under Aregbesola, when lives were disrupted, pensioners died in neglect, and the state was plunged into debt that still hurts today. No one is ready to return to those dark days,” the governor declared.
He dismissed Aregbesola’s 2026 ambition, calling it a delusion detached from the reality on ground.
“Mr Aregbesola is a shrew — ‘Asin ti o mo pe ohun unrun’ — who does not know that he is smelling. 2026 will be payback time when Osun people will punish him and his new party for the pain they inflicted on this state.”
