Gov. Adeleke: Only Electoral Bandits Boast Of Rigging, Not Tinubu

According to Ireporter Online, the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has stated that President Bola Tinubu is not among those who use federal power to target political opponents. Speaking through his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke emphasized that the President is leveraging federal resources to promote good governance for Nigerians.

He described individuals who claim to use federal power to influence elections as “electoral bandits.” The Governor specifically criticized the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly threatening to deploy federal influence in the upcoming governorship election.

Governor Adeleke made the comments during a meeting with leaders and ward officials of the Accord Party across the state’s 332 wards. He warned that federal power should be directed toward governance rather than electoral manipulation.

“The President is using federal power to deliver good governance… not for election rigging,” he said, urging opposition parties to respect democratic principles ahead of the elections. He further called on all stakeholders to ensure free and fair elections, stressing that the people’s votes must count.

“Our people are passionate about free and fair elections. Only electoral bandits boast of rigging in a democracy,” the Governor added.

Several political leaders, including the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, and Senator Olu Alabi, attended the meeting and expressed support for Governor Adeleke’s re-election bid.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the 2026 Osun governorship election for August 15.