The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, have traded banters over an alleged plot to rig the August 8, 2026 governorship election in the state.
PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its chairman in the state, Sunday Bisi, slammed Oyetola for allegedly planning to collude with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission to rig the poll for the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Bisi raised the alarm over the grand plot reportedly disclosed to the APC state caucus meeting last Friday by the minister, describing the alleged utterances as “the most brazen declaration of intent to destroy democracy and a condemnable signal to abuse state power to deny Osun people the legitimate rights to choose their leader in a democracy.”
“For record purposes, the Minister was alleged to have told the closed-door, high-level caucus meeting of the party the following:
“I blocked Gov Adeleke from joining the APC. Otherwise, all your ambitions would have been in jeopardy.
“I gave a guarantee to Mr. President that APC can win in Osun without Governor Adeleke;
“We lost the 2022 election because Buhari refused to instruct INEC and the Police to work for APC;
“I have secured the cooperation of the Police and INEC to ensure that APC wins the Osun 2026 Gubernatorial Election;
“I have employed federal might to prevail upon the Attorney General of the Federation not to recognize the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which clearly recognized the election of the PDP chairmen and councillors.
“The Attorney General is working on a loophole that will allow the withheld local government funds to be released to the court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors.
“Otherwise, the Osun State withheld funds will not be released until after the Gubernatorial Election in 2026, in order to turn the grassroots against Governor Adeleke,” he claimed.
According to him, the alleged utterances of the former governor of Osun pose a serious danger to democratic practice, undermine the credibility of critical state institutions, and constitute gross abuse of power and violations of the constitution.
“While we are of the considered view that President Bola Tinubu is not aware of the open threats to sack democracy in Osun by his cousin and the Minister of Blue Economy, we call on Mr. President to sanction the Minister for dragging the name of the Federal Government into disrepute.
“We also call on Mr. President to counter-order the Attorney General of the Federation to obey the Court of Appeal judgment, which recognises the duly elected PDP chairmen and councillors and release Osun State local government allocations without further delay.
“We are also alerting men of goodwill and the diplomatic community of the open declaration of war on the people of Osun State by a Minister who is still bitter about his rejection at the poll by the good people of Osun State in 2022.
“We inform the global community of an open genocidal threat to democratic practice, as Osun people will defend their votes irrespective of the threats from anti-democratic elements,” Bisi said.
However, a statement from the office of the minister denied the allegations, accusing Osun PDP of telling lies aimed at maligning the person of Oyetola and, by extension, the APC.
The statement, signed by Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister, read, “Let it be made abundantly clear that every single claim in the PDP’s concocted tale is false, malicious, and baseless. It is nothing more than a deliberate smear campaign borne out of paranoia, fear, and desperation, as the PDP stares down the barrel of a looming defeat in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.
“Contrary to the irresponsible fabrications released by the PDP, the Honourable Minister did not — and could never have — uttered any of the statements attributed to him. The entire press statement is a classic example of political fiction-writing, reflective of a party that has become increasingly unhinged in the face of its declining popularity.
“For the records: At no point did the Honourable Minister threaten to rig any election. He remains a firm believer in democracy and the rule of law — a legacy he upheld throughout his tenure as Governor of Osun State and continues to embody in his current capacity as Minister.
“The Honourable Minister has no control, nor has he ever claimed to control INEC, the Police, or the Attorney General of the Federation. The wild claims about “federal might” are not only laughable but an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence and democratic institutions.
“The allegations concerning local government allocations and court rulings are mischievous distortions by a party trying to mask its own incompetence in governance and failure to engage constructively on matters of public interest.
“The PDP’s ridiculous resort to dragging the diplomatic community into their web of lies speaks volumes about their intentions — to incite, confuse, and distract the public from the real issues plaguing Osun State under their watch.
“We challenge the PDP to produce any verifiable evidence — audio, video, or minutes of the alleged meeting — to support these outrageous claims. Until then, the world should treat their statement as nothing but what it is: the dying gasp of a political party on the verge of another resounding electoral defeat.
“The Honourable Minister and the APC remain committed to free, fair, and credible elections in Osun State and across Nigeria. We urge the good people of Osun to ignore the distractions of the PDP and stay focused on the mission to restore competent, people-oriented governance in 2026.
“Enough of the theatrics. Osun deserves better than a party that governs by press release and paranoia.”
