The political tension in Osun State increased on Tuesday after a heated argument between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Minister Adegboyega Oyetola over claims of election rigging plans for the 2026 governorship race.
PDP’s Osun Chairman, Sunday Bisi, released a statement accusing the former governor of trying to manipulate the election process and use federal institutions to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) win in 2026.
Bisi said that some recent media reports showed Oyetola made controversial comments about withholding local government funds and interfering with the people’s votes in the next election.
According to the PDP, the accusations were based on a closed APC meeting that took place the previous Friday. In that meeting, Oyetola was said to have made worrying comments about using federal power to win the upcoming election.
Bisi claimed that Oyetola blamed the APC’s loss in 2022 on former President Buhari for not using his influence over INEC and the Police. He added that Oyetola now said he had secured support from INEC and the Police for the 2026 polls.
It was also alleged that Oyetola mentioned that the Attorney General was working on a way to release local government funds to former APC officials, but only after the 2026 elections. He reportedly said the funds would remain frozen until then.
PDP further claimed that Oyetola stopped Governor Adeleke from joining the APC because it would have affected other people’s ambitions in the party. Oyetola was also said to have promised President Tinubu that he would help APC take back Osun.
Bisi called Oyetola’s alleged statements dangerous for democracy and asked President Tinubu to look into the matter. He urged the President to tell the Attorney General to follow a court ruling that recognized PDP’s local government chairmen.
He added that since Oyetola hadn’t denied the statements after two days, it showed they were likely true. Bisi demanded the release of Osun’s local government funds and warned against using the money to influence voters.
Bisi stressed that any attempt to rig the election would fail and said Governor Adeleke would win in 2026 because of his good work and public support.
However, Oyetola’s media aide, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, quickly responded by denying all the claims. He said they were fake, harmful, and had no truth in them.
He explained that Oyetola never said anything about rigging and believes in democracy and fairness. He called the PDP’s accusations nothing but propaganda from a party that is losing support.
Akinola also said that Oyetola doesn’t control INEC, the Police, or the Attorney General. He described the PDP’s talk about “federal power” as a joke and an insult to the intelligence of Nigerians.
The APC accused the PDP of creating lies to cover up the ruling party’s poor performance and to avoid public criticism. They also said PDP was trying to involve the international community just to turn public opinion against Oyetola.
Akinola challenged the PDP to bring out proof like video or audio recordings of the meeting where these things were allegedly said. He insisted that Oyetola’s name and image were still clean.
He urged the people of Osun to ignore the PDP’s claims and focus on choosing good leaders in 2026 who will deliver real results.
