As preparations for the August 15 governorship election in Osun State intensify, the campaign councils of Governor Ademola Adeleke and his main opponent, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), clashed on Friday over the alleged destruction of billboards belonging to Adeleke in several parts of the state.
Accusations from the Adeleke Campaign
The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council (TICC), Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused APC members of orchestrating a coordinated destruction of Adeleke's billboards. In a statement, Olajengbesi alerted the Inspector General of Police, security agencies, civil society organizations, election observers, and the international community to what he described as a growing pattern of politically motivated violence and coordinated vandalism by elements linked to the Osun APC.
According to the statement, in the early hours of Friday, billboards belonging to the Imole Campaign and the Accord Party were vandalized and destroyed across several local government areas, including Irewole, Ayedaade, Ife, Irepodun, Oriade, and Osogbo. Olajengbesi further claimed that the vandalism was coordinated by a notorious thug, aided by compromised security operatives who either supervised or looked away while the acts were carried out.
Olajengbesi stated, “The people of Osun State must begin to pay close attention to the desperation currently consuming the Osun APC. Having failed to inspire the people with any meaningful agenda or alternative vision for governance, and being overwhelmed by the massive acceptance Governor Ademola Adeleke continues to enjoy across the state, the APC and its operatives now appear determined to embrace intimidation, violence, destruction of opposition materials, and fear tactics as a political strategy.”
He added, “This is not ordinary politics. This is a direct threat to democratic engagement, political freedom, and peaceful participation in the electoral process. We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately order a full investigation into these coordinated attacks and ensure that all persons involved, including their sponsors and collaborators, are identified and prosecuted.”
Denial and Counter-Accusations from the APC
Responding, the head of the media and publicity committee of the APC governorship campaign council, Remi Omowaiye, dismissed the allegation as an act of self-vandalism and diversionary politics. In a statement, Omowaiye contended that the development was aimed at diverting public attention from the alleged investigation of Adeleke's Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, and the Osun State Accountant-General, Mr. Rasheed Olawale Alabi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Omowaiye described the allegation as false, baseless, and a desperate attempt to “hang a dog in order to give it a bad name.” He stated, “It is the campaign billboards and promotional materials of our governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), that have suffered relentless destruction at the hands of political thugs visibly linked to the Osun State Government and its sanguinary Accord Party.”
He further remarked, “This latest falsehood, self-vandalizing billboard and turning around to blame our party, is another diversionary tactic from the coven of economic buccaneers feeding fat on the resources of Osun State, whose sole objective is to distract public attention from the monumental failures and corruption allegations trailing the Adeleke administration.”
