Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing attack on his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, describing his eight-year tenure as the “worst in Osun State’s history.”
Adeleke’s outburst followed a recent statement credited to Aregbesola during a political rally, where the former governor vowed to wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2026 through the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a strongly worded statement issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke berated Aregbesola for what he called “a legacy of ruin” and accused him of plunging the state into debt, abandoning critical projects, and subjecting civil servants to untold hardship.
“The empty boast of Mr Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind who is haunted by the pains and suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people,” Adeleke said.
“He left behind a legacy of huge debts, half salaries, failed educational gimmicks like Opon Imo, and a series of fanciful but uncompleted projects.”
The governor claimed that his administration has been left to clean up the mess created by Aregbesola, including payment of arrears, settlement of pension debts, and completion of abandoned projects.
“Since assuming office, we have paid 28 months of the half salaries owed by the Aregbesola administration and cleared over ₦60 billion in pension liabilities. Workers and pensioners who were victims of his anti-people policies can now breathe a sigh of relief,” the statement read.
Adeleke also said his government has achieved in under three years what Aregbesola could not deliver in eight years.
“Without borrowing a kobo, this administration has constructed 200 kilometres of roads, rehabilitated over 200 schools and health centres, placed 30,000 pensioners on free health insurance, and provided critical surgeries for over 60,000 residents,” he said.
The governor also cited the completion of previously abandoned projects at Osun State University, the actualisation of the University of Ilesa, and key infrastructure upgrades in Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Osogbo, and Iwo, as evidence of his administration’s performance.
Responding to insinuations of non-performance, Adeleke dared Aregbesola to visit Ilesa and inspect the dualisation project from the palace to the brewery junction — a project he claimed Aregbesola failed to execute during his tenure.
“Our people know the truth. Under Aregbesola, many pensioners died in penury, workers groaned under half salaries, and the state’s finances were crippled. No sensible voter in Osun is yearning for a return to those dark days,” the statement added.
Governor Adeleke warned the former governor and his new political allies in the ADC to prepare for defeat in 2026, asserting that Osun people would not forget the “eight years of suffering” under Aregbesola’s rule.
“2026 will be a payback time. Osun people will punish him and his party for the hardship they brought upon the state,” the statement concluded.
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