Election is about the people voting for the leaders of their choice. Our job as politicians is to market our plans and records–Adeleke
The legendary Williams Shakespeare’s timeless words, “Uneasy lies the head that wears crown” aptly captures what Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke is currently passing through in his determination to ensure the state, he has governed since November 2022, is not engulfed in inferno less than a month to the governorship elections scheduled for August 15.
The governor’s struggle for a peaceful tenure did not start today, the Yes/No local government chairmen, which the past Governor Adegboyega Oyetola put in place a month to end of his tenure in 2022, emerged Adeleke’s first albatross which almost caused his admnistration a distraction.
It is in doubt that any incumbent state governor in Nigeria, since return to civilian rule on May 28, 1999, has faced and endured the opposition heat which is the current fate of Adeleke over his right to re-election.
The governor has experienced tearing of his posters and pulling down of his bill boards; he has also experienced public harassment in firing of shots by suspected members of the opposion, resulting in killings, injuries and fears across the state. The tension led the Inspector General of Police, Mr Tunji Disu, on July 3, to Osogbo where he met the governor and also held meeting with all stakeholders, preaching peace and, at the same time, warning politicians against protecting hoodlums.
After the IGP’s intervention, Adeleke would be seen exchanging banters with members of the opposition party at public functions, expressing his love for harmonious politics and non-violence elections.
However, when the public had thought that the parties would shift their focus on their campaign, another noise erupted over
what the government called sabotage public property.
TheTabloid.net gathered that vigilante people of Ile-Ife, who were savouring the construction and completion of the first flyover in the ancient town by the admnistration of Adeleke, first raised an alarm about suspicious movement to destroy a part of the facility that has improved the traffic flow and aesthetics of Lagere axis of the ancient town regarded as the cradle of Yoruba race.
Before the noise in Ile-Ife subsided, another outcry had imploded over the LAMECO flyover in Osogbo, the state capital where a section has cracked with the opposition feasting on it and frontally accusing the admnistration of awarding the contract to a company allegedly with weak profile in construction experiences.
A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is former Commissioner of Works in the state, Eng Remi Omowaye threw a jab at Adeleke and called for immediate closure of the flyover for what he called public safety.
On Friday, he issued a statement in his capacity as head of media and publicity of the APC Governorship Campaign Council, wherein he compared the flyover in question to other projects executed by the government, in terms of quality of contractors and transparency of the contracts.
He said, “The LAMECO flyover was awarded to Kimzel Global Investment, a company known primarily for skills acquisition as well as arts and craft training programme for youths and women. The decision to entrust a critical infrastructure project of this magnitude to such a contractor raises fundamental questions about procurement standards, due dilligence and the government commitment to public safety.”
Smelling sabotage, the Accord, the governing party, rose and gave it back to the APC, asserting that the party is playing desperate politics aimed solely at discrediting Adeleke before general public and particularly the electorate.
The Accord linked the cracked section of the flyover to deliberate vandalisation of the public infrastructure delivered by Adeleke, describing the act as criminal and calculated attempt by the opposition to undermine what he called remarkable achievements of the administration ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.
Chairman of the party, Pastor Victor Akande noted that the opposition lacked sufficient capacity to match Adeleke’s performance, hence, according to him, their determination “to destroy the very projects that are transforming communities across the state in order to create a false impression of government failure.”
Akande further said, “These acts of sabotage is strongly condemned in the strongest terms and those behind them should know that public infrastructure belongs to the people of Osun State, not to any political party. The destruction of roads, public facilities, streetlights, and other government assets is an attack on the collective interest of our citizens and will not diminish the resolve of Governor Adeleke to continue delivering dividends of democracy to every part of the state.”
He called on law enforcement agencies to embark on comprehensive investigation with a view to bringing into book the culprits. He also urged “residents, community leaders, youth groups, and all well-meaning citizens to remain vigilant and take ownership of public assets by promptly reporting any suspicious activities around government projects to the appropriate security agencies.”
Apparently disturbed by the politics of disharmony playing out, Adeleke wasted no time before he headed to the flyover for both inspection and assessment of the controversial section. That was on Friday evening during which he berated politicians sponsoring vandalisation of public infrastructures.
The governor took briefing from engineers from the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and said the development was manifestation of a motive different from politics, teaching that “Election is about the people voting for the leaders of their choice. Our job as politicians is to market our plans and records.”
The governor queried, “Why would any genuine politician arrange to destroy a beautiful edifice like the Lameco bridge because of an election?”
He said, “That conduct is a hate crime against the people of Osun state. It is so immoral that Osun APC is not even ashamed of its masterminding such sabotage. I call on politicians to play the politics of development. These infrastructures were built with public funds. Why should we endanger the lives of our people and waste public resources simply because of elections?”
Adeleke who commended the engineers from the Ministry of Works for their prompt action further directed immediate security surveillance on all major public infrastructures in the state.
Before going to press, Ministry of Works had mobilised equipments to the flyover and fixed the cracked spot.
Earlier on Thursday, people of Ila-Orangun, hometown of former APC Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, were thankful to Adeleke while commissioning the first dual carriage way in the history of the ancient town.
At the ceremony, the governor Adeleke said the 3.5km road is a Phase one which he noted is more than a road but a lifeline for commerce, mobility and safety for the people, adding that the project alongside other township roads, market and health facility shows that his administration believes that development must get to the grassroots.
He added that his administration is opening Ila to more investment, easier movement of farm produce and better access to schools, hospitals and the palace.
“With this dualised road, we are opening Ila to more investment, easier movement of farm produce and better access to schools, hospitals and the palace.
“We also know that this road connects Ila to other town, that is why we are also working on Intercity Roads to ensure Ila is not left behind in Osun Infrastructure agenda. Apart from this dual carriage way, my Administration has equally completed over 7km length of Intracity roads in Ila Orangun,” he said.
***Published on July 25, 2026
Leave a Reply