Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a blistering attack on his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, describing his eight-year administration as the “worst in the history of the state.”
Adeleke’s reaction followed comments made by Aregbesola over the weekend during a meeting with members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Osogbo, where the former governor, now the interim National Secretary of the party, declared that the ADC would unseat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2026 governorship election and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Aregbesola, who served as governor of Osun State from 2010 to 2018, accused the APC of plunging Nigeria into economic misery and positioned the ADC as a credible alternative, vowing to “rescue Nigerians” and reclaim Osun for the people.
But in a sharp response issued on Monday through his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke dismissed Aregbesola’s remarks as “empty boasts,” accusing the former governor of leaving behind a legacy of “anti-people policies, debt burdens, and administrative recklessness.”
According to the statement, Aregbesola’s administration was responsible for massive debts, unpaid pensions, and the controversial implementation of half-salary payments to civil servants—policies Adeleke claimed are still being reversed by his current administration.
“Aregbesola’s wickedness against workers, public servants, and Osun people knows no bounds while he wielded state power,” the statement read. “He should be ashamed of his temerity to attack a governor who is now paying up the half-salary affliction, clearing unjustified debt, and rehabilitating brutalised Osun workers.”
The governor further claimed that in less than three years, his administration has recorded more developmental strides than Aregbesola’s eight years, all without borrowing for infrastructure. He added that the Debt Management Office (DMO) has confirmed a 40 percent reduction in the state’s debt since he assumed office.
“No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the dark days. Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun State is that of Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives, thousands were impoverished, and the state was plunged into unsustainable debt,” Adeleke stated.
The exchange marks a significant escalation in political tensions ahead of the 2026 governorship polls in Osun, as both former and serving leaders jostle for influence and public support.
