Babatunji Wusu –
- Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke and NNPP Chairman Dr. Tosin Odeyemi criticized Ganduje’s comments about the APC’s plans for Osun and Oyo states.
- They accused Ganduje of attempting to destabilize the South West to weaken President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
- Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mallam Rasheed, emphasized Osun’s tradition of political resistance to fraud and warned Ganduje to reconsider his approach.
- Dr. Odeyemi questioned the legitimacy of the APC’s victories, suggesting vote-buying was a major factor in their recent success.
- Odeyemi also pointed out Ganduje’s failure to secure victory in his home state of Kano as evidence of the APC’s declining support.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, have issued a stern warning to Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over his recent comments about the APC’s intention to take over the governments of Osun and Oyo states. The warning follows Ganduje’s statement in which he expressed satisfaction with the victory of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa in the recent Ondo State governorship election, and his intention to expand APC’s influence in the South West.
In a statement issued by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adeleke, the governor’s camp accused Ganduje of seeking to destabilize the South West region. Rasheed suggested that Ganduje’s remarks were an attempt to create division and crisis in the region, particularly in Osun, where political freedom and resistance to electoral manipulation have long been established values.
Rasheed argued that Ganduje’s statement reflected a disregard for local political dynamics, emphasizing that electoral outcomes in states like Edo and Ondo do not necessarily mirror those in Osun. “Osun is the cradle of the Yoruba people, where political freedom is cherished, and resistance to electoral fraud is a strong tradition,” Rasheed stated. He further described Ganduje as a “threat to democracy” and suggested that the APC chairman, by threatening to take control of opposition states, was undermining the president’s support base in his home region.
“If Dr. Ganduje truly loves President Tinubu, why is he attempting to destabilize the president’s home zone?” Rasheed asked, pointing out that such actions could alienate the Yoruba people, who have generally supported President Tinubu regardless of political affiliation. Rasheed urged Ganduje to better understand the political landscape of Osun, as what works in other states like Edo and Ondo would not succeed there.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, NNPP Chairman in Osun, also condemned Ganduje’s remarks. In a separate statement, Odeyemi criticized Ganduje, stating that such comments were unbecoming of an elder statesman. He lamented the economic hardship Nigerians have faced under the APC government, suggesting that the party’s recent success in Ondo was largely due to vote-buying, rather than genuine support. “In a free and fair contest, no one would have voted for the APC in Ondo,” Odeyemi asserted.
Odeyemi also questioned Ganduje’s own political standing, pointing out that if the APC truly had the support of the people, Ganduje should not have struggled to secure re-election in Kano during the last gubernatorial election.
