According to the campaign team of the All Progressives Congress National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru who congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his 65th birthday while declaring that Osun State deserves better leadership.
In a statement on Wednesday, the leader of the Basiru governorship campaign team, Professor Aderemi Ajala, said the APC chieftain is the best candidate to unseat Adeleke in the 2026 Osun governorship election and reposition the state for growth.
The statement read, “We want to join the good people of Osun State to celebrate our governor and brother, His Excellency, Sen. Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, as he clocks 65.
“For us, we nurse no hatred against him, especially as he celebrates his birthday. So we congratulate him. The politics we are all involved in is for the betterment of our state.
“Being a knowledgeable people and apart from the fact that our principal is a lawyer by profession who adheres to the tenets of democracy, we don’t see politics as a do-or-die affair. When Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke defeated us in the last election, we respected the people’s wish.”
Ajala claimed that although Adeleke’s win in the previous election was acknowledged, Basiru’s choice to run in 2026 was motivated by what he called shortcomings in the current administration.
“While we salute him on his birthday, we like to remind him that Sen. Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, Ph.D., is contesting to unseat him because of the obvious lapses he has noticed in the current administration in our dear state.
“The governance of our dear state cannot continue to be entrusted in the hands of someone like Governor Adeleke. We need a governor with ideas and who is surrounded by development-driven individuals. He cannot continue to use a few days in Osun and the other remaining days outside,” the statement continued.
The governor of Osun State’s economic, tourism, education, and agricultural performance was challenged by the campaign team.
Ajala said, “We would have pardoned his frequent travels if he had capable hands to leave the administration with, but no. We have, together with our principal, consulted widely, and that is why he has thrown his hat in the ring. He wants to salvage the plight of our people.
“One does not need anyone to say it to know that Osun’s agricultural sector is almost dead. Nothing seems to be working under the current administration. No single company has been established or opened under this current tenure. Tourism in Osun is at its lowest patronage.
“Our educational sector has nosedived. What do we expect when teachers are sacked and not replaced? The health sector is nothing to write home about.”
Basiru’s team urged Adeleke’s administration to publicly account for the funds received by the state over the past 30 months.
The statement added, “The money accrued to the state in the last 30 months has been spent recklessly. The state government should publicly come out to tell the people how their funds are spent.
“A good leader doesn’t take the people to where they want, he takes them to where they ought to be. Our state is fast losing the gains of the past.
“So while we wish him all the best life can offer, we like to remind him that Sen. Basiru is contesting to unseat him. And we know the outgoing governor would be proud of his predecessor when he takes over from him in 2026.”
