By Engr Shakbab
The political trumpet has sounded across Osun State. The battle lines for 2026 are drawn. But this is not a time for mere political banter; it is a time for sober reflection. It is a time for the people to consult the archives of their memory, to weigh the weight of leadership, and to decide if they will continue on the path of progress or be lured back into the abyss of mismanagement.
In the history of our democracy, a leader like Governor Ademola Adeleke does not emerge by accident. He is not a politician of convenience; he is a movement of the people. He is the heartbeat of a new Osun, the face of a government that remembers the taste of garri and the value of a pensioner’s smile. He is, as our elders say, the good iron we have been searching for.
The Yoruba proverb teaches, “Bi a bá rí irin tí ó dáa, a fi ọ̀pá mọ́ ọn pé.” (When we find a good iron, we mark it with a staff so we never lose it). Governor Adeleke is that tried and tested iron. Under his watch, governance has moved from the stifling offices of the elite to the open fields of the masses. He has restored dignity to the government house and returned the government to the people. Where there was once a deafening silence in the face of suffering, he has brought a listening ear and a healing touch.
But as the sun shines brightly, the vultures of the past circle overhead, hoping for a return to the rotting carcass of their own failed administration. They come not with solutions, but with disguises. They come not with records of achievement, but with a dictionary of excuses.
Let us look closely at the standard bearer they have presented. Bola Oyebamiji, a name that should send a chill down the spine of every hardworking Osun citizen. This is the man who served as the former Commissioner for Finance under the worst maladministration this state has ever witnessed: the Oyetola era. He was not a bystander; he was the chief accountant of stagnation. He was the one who crunched the numbers while salaries were unpaid, who balanced the books while pensioners died in queue, who managed the treasury while the state’s economy flatlined.
To call him the “Architect of Hardship” would be an understatement. He was the Accountant-General of Apathy, the Paymaster of Pain. And now, the APC has the audacity to ask the people of Osun to place their future in the very hands that mismanaged their past?
“Ẹni tí a fi ìṣẹ́ ràn kì í fi ọwọ́ òsì gbà á.” (He who served us well should not be dismissed with the left hand). But what service did Oyebamiji render? He served the interests of a few, leaving the masses to feast on the dry bones of broken promises. He was the Finance Commissioner who knew the price of everything but the value of nothing especially the value of the common man’s sweat.
Here is the masterstroke that should give every Osun citizen confidence: Our candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke, is flying the flag of the Accord Party. And by divine design, Accord will be the very first name on the ballot paper.
Let the opposition come with their rented crowds and their speeches dressed in borrowed robes. They will promise heaven and earth, but we have seen their blueprint, and it is written in the red ink of debt and despondency. They will say what the people want to hear, but the people have become wise. They know that “Ìrètí lásán kì í jẹun ọmọ” (Mere hope does not feed a child). Governor Adeleke has not given us hope alone; he has given us food. He has not given us slogans; he has given us schools, infrastructure, and a government that feels our pain.
This 2026 election is not a popularity contest; it is a moral referendum. It is a choice between the darkness of yesterday and the light of today. It is a choice between Oyebamiji, the man who balanced the books while the people went broke, and Adeleke, the Governor who broke the cycle of neglect to balance the lives of the people.
Osun will not return to the days when power was a private club for those who feast while the people fast. We remember the unpaid salaries. We remember the abandoned promises. We remember the arrogance of a government that flew over the state in private jets while the roads crumbled below.
We remember. And because we remember, we will resist.
When you enter that polling booth, the choice will be simple. Look for Number One. Look for Accord.
Vote Accord. Vote Ademola Adeleke.
Let us rise as one. Let us tell the APC and their candidate that their time has expired. Let us tell Bola Oyebamiji that we do not need a Finance Commissioner who specializes in managing poverty; we need a Governor who builds prosperity.
Come August 15, Osun will not gamble with its future. We will defend the light against the shadows. We will protect the legacy of service over the temptation of deceit. A good term deserves another, not just as a reward, but as a necessity.
May APC never happen to us in Osun again.
The journey continues. The light endures.
Imole is here to stay.
Adeleke: The People’s Choice, Now and Always
—
Shakirullai Babatunde (Engr Shakbab)
Special Assistant to the Governor on Media
