Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has fired back at former Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his recent comments concerning the 2026 governorship election, describing them as misguided and out of touch with the current realities in the state.
In a statement issued Monday by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke dismissed Aregbesola’s alleged vow to retake power as a “blurred dream,” insisting the people of Osun will not be swayed by nostalgia for an era marked by suffering and poor governance.
“Osun people are well aware of the stark difference between their past and present leadership,” Adeleke said. “The worst chapter in Osun’s history was under Mr. Aregbesola’s administration — a period during which pensioners died waiting for their entitlements, livelihoods were lost, and the state was plunged into a debt crisis that still haunts us today.”
Governor Adeleke accused his predecessor of leaving behind a legacy of economic mismanagement, massive debt, irregular salary payments, abandoned infrastructure projects, and questionable contract deals. According to him, these burdens continue to strain the state’s financial capacity.
He revealed that since taking office, his administration has cleared 28 months of backlogged salaries and settled nearly ₦60 billion in pension arrears — liabilities he directly attributed to Aregbesola’s eight-year rule.
Rasheed, speaking on behalf of the governor, emphasized that Adeleke’s leadership has brought a new era of transparency, fiscal responsibility, and people-centered policies. “No voter in Osun is interested in returning to the dark days of failed leadership,” he asserted.
Highlighting key achievements, Governor Adeleke pointed to his government’s “local content” policy, zero-debt approach, and inclusive development strategy, which he said have earned both national and international commendation.
As political temperatures begin to rise ahead of the 2026 elections, Adeleke made it clear that Osun’s future lies in progress — not in what he described as a “regressive past.”