Adeleke vs Aregbesola Feud: Osun Governor Denounces Ex-Governor’s ‘Evil Legacy’ and Vows No Return to the Past
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has issued a scathing response to former Interior Minister and interim ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, following the latter’s alleged threats to reclaim power in 2026.
Adeleke vs Aregbesola . In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, Adeleke dismissed Aregbesola’s credibility on governance matters, branding his eight-year tenure as the most damaging in Osun’s history.
Adeleke accused the former governor of saddling the state with enormous debts, implementing harsh anti-worker policies, and squandering public resources on inflated, abandoned projects such as the much-criticized Opon Imo learning tablets initiative.
“Aregbesola’s empty boasts about 2026 reveal a man haunted by the damage he inflicted on millions of Osun residents,” the statement read. “Instead of apologizing, he dares to attack Governor Adeleke, who is diligently clearing the mess he left behind.
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Adeleke vs Aregbesola . Adeleke condemned Aregbesola’s treatment of workers and pensioners, citing withheld salaries, pension fund mismanagement, and unpaid cooperative deductions. He revealed that his government has cleared 28 months of the outstanding half salaries and nearly ₦60 billion in pension arrears.
The statement emphasized Adeleke’s accomplishments in under three years without taking any new loans:
Reduced Osun’s debt burden by 40%, verified by the Debt Management Office.
Constructed around 200 kilometers of roads.
Renovated over 200 schools and healthcare centers.
Enrolled more than 30,000 pensioners in free health insurance.
Facilitated critical surgeries for over 60,000 residents.
Revived abandoned projects at Osun State University.
Made the University of Ilesa fully operational.
Adeleke vs Aregbesola . The Governor challenged Aregbesola to tour infrastructure projects like the Palace to Brewery Junction dual carriageway in Ilesa, flyovers in Ile-Ife and Osogbo, and the ongoing dualisation in Iwo — projects Aregbesola allegedly failed to deliver.
“Osun citizens remember the hardship, deaths of neglected pensioners, and unsustainable debt left behind by Aregbesola,” the statement added. “No voter wishes to revisit that bitter chapter.”
Rasheed brushed off Aregbesola’s political ambitions as a delusion, asserting that Osun people endorse Adeleke’s people-centric governance, local content policies, and debt-free administration.
“Come 2026, the people will hold Aregbesola and his allies accountable for their past misrule,” the statement concluded.
