APC and PDP engage in verbal sparring ahead of Osun 2026 elections

In the build-up to the 2026 gubernatorial elections in Osun State, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has confidently declared the party’s intention to take control of the state. During an address to APC members in Osogbo, Basiru encouraged party members to commence mobilizing for the upcoming elections. He took the opportunity to criticize the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, accusing him of being less than truthful with regard to urban renewal projects.

Basiru specifically questioned the success of the “borehole per ward” project, characterizing it as a failure. He added that any government built on lies and propaganda is destined to fail. He also expressed sympathy for Osun State workers, highlighting the alleged hardships they have faced. Basiru inquired about the utilization of the first tranche of the N2 billion palliative fund from the Federal Government, suggesting that other states had done more for their workers with similar allocations.

In response to Basiru’s remarks, the Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through its party chairman, Sunday Bisi, advised the APC National Secretary to abandon his hopes of the party’s return to power in the state. Bisi characterized Basiru’s statements as illusory and detached from the current reality in Osun. He emphasized the progress and positive transformations under Governor Adeleke’s administration and dismissed Basiru’s assertions as self-serving and irrational.

Bisi further accused Basiru of employing politics that perpetuates poverty and subjugation. The political exchanges between the APC and PDP indicate the intensifying political rivalry and rhetoric as Osun State prepares for the 2026 elections.