By Monsurat Abisoye
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Tuesday officially flagged off his campaign for the 15 August governorship election and received former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who recently defected to the Accord Party.
At the rally held in Osogbo, Adeleke was presented with the Accord Party flag by the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem. Addressing supporters, the governor assured party members that the Accord Party would appear on the ballot and expressed confidence in securing re-election.
He urged supporters to remain steadfast, stating that lawful measures were being pursued to protect citizens’ rights to vote and be voted for. Adeleke also called on party faithful to mobilise voters across the state, describing Accord as a duly registered political party.
The governor further reacted to the recent Federal High Court judgment that removed local government chairmen currently administering council areas in the state. He directed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, to stop providing protection for the affected chairmen and urged the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to cease transactions with them while demanding accountability for funds allocated to the councils.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Adeleke said his government had cleared inherited half-salary arrears, settled pension debts and rehabilitated schools across the state.
He thanked various groups that had endorsed his second-term bid and assured defectors from other political parties of equal opportunities within the Accord Party. Adeleke also expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 while urging Osun voters to back Accord in the forthcoming governorship election.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, former Osun State Commissioner for Education, Folorunso Oladoyin, announced that supporters of former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, had resolved to support Adeleke’s re-election bid.
Oladoyin claimed that some APC members had pushed for Omisore to emerge as the party’s governorship candidate, but the proposal was rejected. He argued that Adeleke’s previous electoral victories demonstrated his political strength and maintained that the governor deserved a second term based on his performance across different parts of the state.
He pledged the support of Omisore’s loyalists for Adeleke’s re-election campaign, expressing confidence that the governor would emerge victorious in the August 15 poll.