The three leading contenders in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election went head to head on Tuesday over their records and economic plans, with the incumbent Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dr Najeem Salaam, offering their different visions for the state.
At the Arise News town hall, held in collaboration with the editorial board of Tribune Newspaper and the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), in Osogbo, Adeleke defended his three-and-a-half-year record, maintaining that he has done enough to earn a second term, and insisting that his government has transformed infrastructure in the South-west state.
On his part, Oyebamiji presented himself as an investment and public finance expert capable of turning around the state’s economy, while Salaam promised to revive social programmes associated with earlier administrations and create 20,000 jobs within his first 100 days in office.
The election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15, has recently attracted intense political attention, marked by allegations of political violence, arrests, federal interference and disagreements among major political blocs.
Adeleke Defends Stewardship, Alleges Intimidation
Adeleke, who appeared first during the programme which stretched several hours, said his administration had transformed infrastructure across Osun, particularly through road construction, while also investing in education, healthcare and security.
He said the state had constructed about 350 kilometres of roads since he assumed office, with another 150 kilometres under construction, including roads that had remained abandoned for decades.
“There are some roads that I visited that have been abandoned for more than 45 years, some 35 years, I said it’s not acceptable. I fixed it, and I promise that Osun State money will stay in Osun, and it’s been happening,” Adeleke said.
He said his administration had also installed solar lights across the state, arguing that the projects were contributing to economic activity and improving the appearance of major towns.
The governor dismissed allegations by the APC that the roads constructed by his administration were substandard, saying certified Nigerian and international engineers had been engaged to ensure quality.
“Talking about substandard roads, it’s a sin, why would I come and do substandard roads. I use certified engineers; I use Nigerian engineers and in fact, we invited an international engineer. I don’t just sit in the office. I move around to double check it,” he said.
Adeleke also highlighted what he described as improvements in education, saying Osun had moved from a poor position in national examination rankings to seventh in the country.
He said his administration had also invested in agriculture, including the purchase of 31 tractors and provision of seedlings and other farm inputs to farmers.
On healthcare, the governor said his administration had rehabilitated about 200 healthcare centres after discovering that an earlier $20 million grant secured for the sector had not produced the desired results.
“As of today, we have fixed and rehabilitated about 200 healthcare centres. We put boreholes, we put solar light, and beds and everything is looking so beautiful, as if you are in America,” he said.
Adeleke also said security had received attention under his administration, disclosing that more than 1,500 Amotekun personnel had been recruited and trained to protect lives and property.
On allegations that his administration had relied more on entertainment and dancing than governance, Adeleke said his personality should not be confused with his approach to public administration.
“In our family, we are jolly good fellows. We have music in our blood, and I tell you what: nobody, I repeat, nobody will stop me from dancing. As I’m dancing, I’m working,” he said.
“When you come to my office, I’m a very prudent person, and I’m a very serious person. There’s time for everything. There’s time to dance, and there’s time to work,” he maintained.
The governor also rejected claims that he was responsible for the militarisation of the state ahead of the election, saying he lacked the constitutional authority to deploy federal security agencies.
“I did not militarise. I don’t have that capacity. I am not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces,” he said.
Adeleke said he had consistently advocated a peaceful and credible election, urging his supporters not to retaliate if provoked. “My people, let me talk to you, this election is going to be a free and fair election. No violence,” he said.
On his chances of retaining the governorship despite contesting on the platform of the Accord Party, Adeleke expressed confidence, describing himself as a “bulldozer”. “You don’t know me. I’m a bulldozer. They don’t call me Action Jackson for nothing. I’m a bulldozer,” he said.
He urged voters to turn out and protect their votes, insisting that his achievements would secure his re-election. “There’s no amount of intimidation. The work that I’ve done speaks for itself. Come this Saturday, I’ll be victorious,” he said.
Oyebamiji to Prioritise Agriculture, Education, Health
When it was his turn, the APC candidate, Oyebamiji, said his administration would make agriculture its first priority while simultaneously investing heavily in education, healthcare and human capital development. “I will prioritiseagriculture. That’s my number one,” he said.
The former Commissioner for Finance said his background in banking, investment management and public finance would help him attract capital and build businesses capable of expanding Osun’s economic base.
“As an investment banker, it won’t be difficult for me to actually attract funds, work on ensuring business to attract investors to Osun so that our people can enjoy the dividends of the state,” he said.
Oyebamiji said his administration would focus on the welfare of the entire population, rather than concentrating development in particular areas.
“Governance is about people. It’s not about segments. It’s not about an area. It’s not about a city. It’s not about a town. It’s the entirety and the entire people of Osun that I want to serve,” he posited.
He promised to improve the state’s healthcare infrastructure, arguing that the absence of key diagnostic equipment needed urgent attention. “Our health care now is more important in Osun. There is no single MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). There is no such equipment,” he said.
Oyebamiji also cited an estimated deficit of 28,000 teachers, saying education would be a major focus of his administration. “As of today, we have 28,000 deficits of teachers in Osun. And education is just the bedrock of any form of achievement in the world,” he said.
He also promised to improve workers’ welfare and invest in training and human capital development.
“I want to invest seriously in agriculture, education, and health. Apart from that, our human assets are very important to us. I’m going to invest in human assets. We are going to look at their welfare. We are going to increase their welfare. Training is very important. Capital development is very important,” he said.
Oyebamiji used his previous public service experience to make a case for his ability to manage Osun’s finances, recalling that he inherited a moribund Osun State Investment Company with negative shareholders’ funds of about N300 million and left after increasing the shareholders’ funds to N6 billion.
He also recalled how, as Commissioner for Finance under former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, he helped secure N16 billion from funds withheld under the Paris Club debt arrangement.
“I did a cash flow analysis that would bring Osun to us to pay salaries, to pay outstanding pensions. And that is how we started paying full salary until we left the government in 2022,” he said.
Oyebamiji said the state now had substantially greater monthly revenues than when he served as finance commissioner, and argued that the increased resources should be translated into investment and better living conditions.
“At the time I left the government as a commissioner for finance, I know that our last revenue from Abuja was N3.5 billion. At that time, our wage bill was about N3.7 or N3.8 billion. As of today, the least revenue that is accrued to the state every month is in the region of N17 billion and N20 billion,” he said.
He promised to run an accountable government anchored on established institutions and rules.
“I’m going to run a very serious business. You know governance is a serious business. And I’m going to give my people a serious and rewarding business of governance. I’m going to be transparent. And I’m going to be accountable to my people,” he said.
Salaam: I’ll Continue with Awolowo’s Legacy, Create Jobs
Also speaking, the ADC standard bearer in the upcoming poll, Salaam, stated that he would prioritise job creation, electricity, education, healthcare and social welfare, promising to create 20,000 jobs for young people within his first 100 days in office.
“Today, to create 20,000 jobs, provision of 24 hours electricity across the state, N1 billion support for women for empowerment would not be difficult based on government proactive actions,” he said.
He said his administration would take advantage of the electricity provisions of the Electricity Act to develop a state-level power system capable of providing reliable electricity across Osun.
Salaam also promised free education from primary through secondary school and said his administration would review tuition fees in the state’s higher institutions with a view to reducing them.
“Education from the primary to the secondary school for our children will be free, and we will also ensure that we have a committee that will review the tuition fees in our higher institutions with a plan to bring it down,” he said.
According to Salaam, Healthcare would also be free for children and pregnant women under his administration.
“Children from age 1 to 18 will have access to free medical treatment in a well-equipped government hospital. Our pregnant women will have free treatment. Our elders and widows will be taken care of,” Salaam said.
The ADC candidate said his administration would also revive social intervention programmes introduced under previous governments, including O’YES for youth empowerment, O’MEALS for school feeding and O’REAP for agriculture.
“We invested in healthcare, social welfare, and emergency response systems like O-AMBULANCE. We introduced O’YES for youth empowerment, O’MEALS for school feeding, and O’REAP for agriculture. These and many more laudable programmes will be back,” he said.
On agriculture, Salaam said the sector offered the strongest route to rebuilding the state’s economy and promised to provide farmers with the tools and support required to increase production.
“I know what the farmers need and my government will provide it to improve their business,” he said.
He said farm settlements would also be encouraged, alongside the provision of infrastructure and social amenities needed to connect farmers to markets.
On security, Salaam proposed community policing involving traditional rulers and community leaders, saying the system would complement the state police structure.
He also dismissed concerns that federal political influence could frustrate his ambition, arguing that the ADC had remained peaceful and coordinated throughout the campaign.
“APC, Accord are already in crisis. If any of them wins, they will continue in war, election is not a war, carrying guns and dangerous weapons should not be our priorities by now. But ADC is the only party that can change the ugly development,” he said.
Emmanuel Addeh, Adedayo Akinwale and Yinka Kolawole
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