APC can’t rely on Tinubu to win Osun in 2026 – Adeleke’s aide fires back at opposition

The Osun State government has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s influence will secure victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2026 governorship election, describing such thinking as wishful.

Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, issued the rebuttal on Monday in response to comments by former Osun State House of Assembly Speaker Timothy Owoeye, who allegedly referred to Adeleke as a “caretaker governor” during a radio interview in Osogbo.

Rasheed demanded a public apology from Owoeye, stating that the remark was disrespectful to both the governor and the electorate who voted him into office.

“I think the former speaker should do a retraction and publicly apologise because he said what he said on a public radio station,” Rasheed said.

“Governor Adeleke was popularly elected by the people. There were litigations on his election up till the Supreme Court and the Apex Court validated his election, and he is in the seat administering well and delivering dividends of democracy to all and sundry”, Rasheed added.

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He accused Owoeye of bitterness over the Adeleke administration’s achievements, including road projects the previous APC government failed to complete.

“My conclusion is that Owoeye is troubled because the dualisation of the Palace-Brewery road junction, which their administration could not do for 12 years, has been done and is almost completed by Adeleke.”

Rasheed also dismissed suggestions that federal influence would determine the next election, asserting that Osun voters would reject any attempt to undermine their choice.

“If anybody is thinking they will use federal might to come and rig, President Bola Tinubu is not ready to help anybody to rig. Mr President is a Democrat. The best you can do is to go and campaign.”

However, Osun APC spokesman Kola Olabisi fired back, accusing Adeleke’s camp of panic over the ruling party’s growing momentum.

“Saying President Tinubu will not help anyone to win election shows that they are jittery and afraid of their shadow,” Olabisi countered. “We thank God that President Tinubu is the leader of APC in this country today, and whatever affects the party in Osun will not spare the whole.”

He defended Owoeye’s “caretaker governor” remark, clarifying that it was a prediction of APC’s imminent return to power.

“What the former speaker meant by saying Ademola Adeleke is running a caretaker government is that the government will be removed legitimately by our votes during the next election,” Olabisi explained.

The APC spokesperson expressed confidence in Tinubu’s support, stating: “If he comes here to campaign for us, in a way, you know he is supporting us in order to ensure that we win the election. It is going to be his joy to see that we win that election.”

The war of words signals an early escalation of political tensions ahead of the 2026 governorship race in Osun.

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