Former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, yesterday gave reasons for not backing the re-election bid of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting on the platform of the Accord Party (AP).

Oyinlola, alongside former Secretary to Osun State Government (SSG), Fatai Akinbade, and former National Vice Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), South-West, Tajudeen Oladipo, and their supporters officially adopted Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), popularly known as AMBO, as their candidate for Saturday’s governorship polls.

The former governor, speaking in Osogbo on behalf of other stakeholders, said their resolve to back Oyebamiji was informed by the need for a new direction in the overall interest of the state.

He explained that despite their contributions to the emergence of Adeleke as the governor in 2022, the lack of inclusiveness in his administration had severed political ties with major stakeholders, adding, “We were among the major stakeholders who worked tirelessly towards the emergence of the current administration under the platform of the PDP.

“Politics is temporary, but Osun State is permanent,” he stated. “Political parties may change, political alliances may change, administrations may come and go, but the people of Osun State will remain. Our responsibility as leaders is therefore to make decisions that will protect the future of our people.

“We believed in that project. We supported it. We mobilised our people for it. We invested our time, energy and political capital in it because we believed that it represented the aspirations of our people. Unfortunately, along the line, things began to fall apart.

“One of the major issues that has created this unfortunate situation, in our considered view, is the lack of inclusiveness in the governance of our state. We believe strongly that no party or government can succeed sustainably when it does not carry its people and leaders along,” he stated.

MEANWHILE, Adeleke’s administration has intensified its defence against the APC’s criticisms of its four-year record, dismissing allegations of poor-quality infrastructure, the political concentration of projects, inexperienced contractors, and a lack of control by the governor.

In a document titled “Osun Fact Check: Falsehood and Facts,” the government said its infrastructure projects were executed by experienced engineers and contractors who complied with due process and procurement requirements.

It also rejected claims that the Ido-Osun Airport was relocated to Ede for political reasons, saying that the facility remained at Ido-Osun and had previously been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) by the Oyetola administration.

The government further denied allegations that Adeleke sacked workers employed by his predecessor, saying that those recruited after the 2022 election were employed before the transition to the new administration.

The administration also dismissed criticism of Adeleke’s public dancing, saying it had no bearing on his performance in office and represented an expression of gratitude to God.

However, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has urged voters to reject both the APC and Adeleke, describing the ADC as the only credible alternative. The group accused Adeleke of insensitivity over his endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.

Similarly, Accord Party presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, accused the federal government of using state power to intimidate Osun voters ahead of the election.

He cited the earlier freezing of state government accounts and withholding of local councils’ allocations as examples of what he described as “punitive state oppression.”

Olawepo-Hashim, therefore, urged the president to ensure neutrality of federal institutions and security agencies, warning that the electorate must be allowed to choose their governor without intimidation.

IN another development, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has condemned Tinubu’s intervention in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) investigation involving suspicious transactions in the accounts of the Osun State government.

HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the president’s directive to the EFCC to lift the restriction on the accounts raises serious concerns about the operational independence of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions and undermines the principle that enforcement decisions should be subject to due process and judicial review.

The group noted that the anti-graft agency has a statutory responsibility under Section 6 of the EFCC Act 2024 to prevent, investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes.

It said that where credible intelligence or evidence suggests that public funds are at risk of diversion or misuse, the commission should be allowed to take lawful preventive measures while investigations are ongoing.

HEDA, which urged all political actors to refrain from turning anti-corruption institutions into instruments of electoral competition, said the controversy goes beyond Osun State, saying that Nigeria needs anti-corruption institutions capable of protecting public resources without fear, favour or political interference.