…Says APC Should Seek Forgiveness, Not Attempt Manipulation
It is important to remind the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Osun youths are not politically naive, emotionally detached, or historically amnesic. They remember clearly how the state was under APC’s failed government, how their homes suffered, and who the helmsman was over that period of pain.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Spokesperson to the State Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said Osun youths are not politically naïve and have not forgotten the period he described as the “half-salary era” under the APC-led administration.
Rasheed noted that youths vividly remember the economic hardship experienced during that period, including irregular salary payments, unpaid pensions, and the attendant strain on families across the state.
According to him, presenting “one of the chief architects of the half-salary era as a youth-friendly candidate amounts to political mockery of the highest order,” stressing that Osun youths make electoral choices based on lived experiences rather than slogans.
The statement reads further;
The recent attempt by the APC and its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, to parade familiar promises of a “youth-friendly government” is therefore not only hollow, it is insulting. Presenting one of the chief architects of the half-salary era as a youth-friendly candidate is irrefutably political mockery of the highest order.
The gallery of history has shown that Osun youths do not vote based on slogans or manipulative statements. They vote from lived experience. They remember the era when payment of salaries were neglected, when pensioners were abandoned, and when parents could not plan their lives. They remember the anxiety in their homes when school fees became a burden and survival became a daily struggle.
That period did lasting damage. When parents were unpaid or underpaid, the burden shifted to young people. When pensioners were ignored, they became unintended liabilities on their children. Many youths were pushed into frustration, despair, and uncertainty. This is the reality the APC now wants Osun people to forget.
Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke is deliberately prioritizing welfare of the people, and creating an enabling environment for the safe actualization of dreams, and aspirations of young people. He understands that if parents are in trouble, their children will suffer.
That is why his administration pays salaries promptly and in full. That is why pensions are paid as and when due, and payment of arrears that he did not owe are being addressed. That is why minimum wage has been implemented and improved upon. These are conscious decisions rooted in empathy, not politics.
If parents cannot pay school fees, the consequences are disastrous. Dreams are disrupted, confidence is broken, and frustration deepens. Governor Adeleke understands this human reality and has restored dignity to workers and retirees. Today, families can plan again, homes are stable, and youths can focus on their future instead of survival.
Beyond this, the administration’s strong local content policies are empowering artisans, traders, and small business owners. These are majorly youths, and parents who can now earn honestly and support their children. When parents are economically active, youths are shielded from social pressure and desperation.
This is what genuine youth-friendly governance looks like in practice, not in propaganda.
For the sake of posterity, instead of attempting to manipulate Osun youths with recycled narratives, the APC should seek forgiveness for the hardship inflicted on families during its time in government. No amount of rebranding can erase pain without accountability and remorse.
Governor Ademola Adeleke remains confident of the people’s support because his government has reduced pain, restored dignity, and governed with a human face. Osun youths feel the difference. Osun homes feel the difference. And they are determined never to return to an era that broke families and strained the future of a generation.
It’s pertinent to state clearly that Osun youths have already made their choice in Governor Adeleke because the 2026 election will not be decided by political tricks or empty promises.
