The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has rejected claims by Governor Ademola Adeleke that the party plans to leverage federal influence to sway the upcoming governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026.
In a statement on Sunday, the APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, described the accusations as baseless and an attempt to preemptively rationalize potential defeat. The governor had raised concerns during an Accord Party stakeholders’ meeting, alleging that the APC threatened to deploy federal authority in the electoral process.
Olabisi countered, saying the APC has no intention of manipulating the election unlawfully, emphasizing that the party believes it can secure victory through growing grassroots support. “The allegation that our party intends to rely on federal might to win the governorship election is a mere figment of the imagination of some rumour mongers,” he said.
The APC pointed to recent political realignments in the state, noting that several figures formerly aligned with the governor’s camp—including Shuaib Oyedokun, Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, and Wole Oke—had joined the party, bolstering its electoral prospects. Other defections, including Dotun Babayemi and Akin Ogunbiyi, were cited as further strengthening APC’s campaign.
“Our governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, is gaining increasing support across communities. He is a serious contender going into the August 2026 election to win convincingly without resorting to fraudulent means,” Olabisi added.
Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has continued to warn against attempts to intimidate voters. Addressing leaders and ward officials of the Accord Party across Osun’s 332 wards in Osogbo, he urged that federal authority should be used for governance rather than electoral interference.
“Federal might is for good governance, not election rigging,” Adeleke stated, appealing to residents to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. “Only the votes of the people will determine who governs the state,” he added.
