Opinion
By Isiaka Morounfolu
SPOTTING dark glasses and sitting on a chair among his loyalists, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, in a short video that has gone viral seethed with anger. In one instance, he was seen splashing the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Director General in the coming election, Hon. Oluwole Oke, with unprintable words.
In another part of the video, and in an apparent allusion to the state of violence in his state, where the two leading political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord Party, ahead of the coming August 15 governorship election are playing the blame game over the violence that is gradually turning into a huge conflagration, he warned: Enough is enough!
Warning that if the state of violence persisted, there could be “revolution”, he declared: “Let no one think of declaring a state of emergency in Osun State. It will not work.” Enough is enough! And those around him echoed same.
If there is anything anyone discernible from the vituperation of Governor Adeleke in the video, it is really not about the need to bring an end to the political violence in the state, but the apparent desperation of a man who appears to be all out to do everything and anything to return to office in spite of all odds. The hatred with which he spoke, especially about Oke for instance, is a confirmation of what Coretta Scott King meant when she stated that “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” He appears overwhelmed, desperate.
The desperation is also seen in his declaration that there could be “revolution” in the state, and that a state of emergency, the type that was invoked in Rivers State that brought sanity to the political imbroglio that turned the state into unprecedented chaos would not work in Osun.
Being the chief security officer of a state, one would expect that the governor would, through the security agencies in the state ensure the safety of lives and property, particularly ahead of the coming election. Instead, what obtains is the “counting of scores” as it is said in street parlance by the two major parties, one of which is the one he defected to, Accord.
Need anyone state what should the candidates of the two parties or any another one and their followers be pre-occupied with at this moment when the election is less than two months? This is a period when campaigns should be at its peak with all arsenal deployed to convince the populace about the programmes which they may have come up with to better the lives of the people. For a state with a glaring deficit in very many areas of development, would it not just be appropriate for the parties to try to outdo one another in order to warm themselves to the heart of the electorate.
The governor, as the incumbent that he is, would have done well to flaunt his achievements in office in the past few years. From education to health, agriculture to manufacturing, housing to trade, among others, one would have expected a number of dividend of democracy put on display for all to see.
Particularly, the period should have be the season to put to shame, if it is possible, those who have accused him of so many sins that could deny him the ticket to return to the Government House after his first term. The sins are in legion and one would expect that he would help himself by providing answers to enquiries and proving those against him wrong. For example, Mr. Governor, would you not just justify your government’s lack of financial support to tertiary institutions which has forced their management to charge as high as N1.5million as school fees? That, ordinarily, appears to be the best thing to do. Wouldn’t you just give a reason for stopping the car loans to Osun workers, and defend the stoppage of O’Meal feeding to primary school pupils in the state?
For one who has been accused of destabilizing the traditional institutions by sacking traditional rulers of Iree, Ikirun and Igbajo, one would expect that Mr. Governor would use the opportunity of the campaign to convince the people of the propriety of his actions and inactions.
What about the alleged use of N92 billion to eat and enjoy other luxury while key sectors of the economy like Agriculture received N7 billion from 2023 to 2025? The allegation that N14. 9 billion accessed as Security Vote between 2023-2025 without buying a motorcycle nor a vehicle for operations of security agencies is another example of a failing.
Truth is that the desperation on display by the governor in different ways and at different instances may amount to nothing if staying in office for as long as he has, has not yielded the real dividend of democracy to arrest the loyalty of all, despite all odds. Rather than raining curses on “adversaries” and threatening that State of Emergency would not work in Osun if violence festers, Governor Adeleke should showcase his achievements and let the people score him on August 15. That would determine whether he would continue his dancing or drag his feet back to where he came from. Enough of desperation. Nothing, of course, lasts forever.
A.I
June 29, 2026
Tags: Governor Ademola Adeleke Hon. Oluwole Oke Isiaka Morounfolu