The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused a key ally of Governor Ademola Adeleke of being the real architect of the controversial half-salary regime in the state, dismissing claims that its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, was responsible for the policy.
It described the allegation against Oyebamiji as “arrant, thoughtless and mischievous,” accusing the Adeleke administration of deliberate distortion of facts to cover up its own failures.
In a statement issued on on Monday by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party said it was “pitiable and embarrassing” that the Adeleke-led government could so quickly forget that Wale Bolorunduro, now an economic advisory consultant to Governor Adeleke, was the Finance Commissioner during the period when modulated or half salary payments were introduced under the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
“It is a statement of fact, well known to the discerning people of Osun State, that Bolorunduro was the Finance Commissioner at the commencement of the half-salary regime,” the APC stated. “To now ascribe that policy to Oyebamiji is not only false but an outright insult to the intelligence of Osun people.”
The APC further argued that Oyebamiji, rather than being responsible for the half-salary policy, was instrumental in ending it. According to the party, Oyebamiji was serving as Managing Director of the Osun State Investment Company Limited (OSICOL) throughout the period the modulated salary structure was in force and was only appointed Finance Commissioner in 2017, at the tail end of the Aregbesola administration.
“Upon his appointment, Oyebamiji stabilized the state’s economy, stimulated government finances, and returned Osun State to full salary payments,” the statement said, describing him as a “messiah” who rescued workers from the scourge of half salaries.
The APC accused the Adeleke administration of suffering from “political dementia,” adding that its attempt to rewrite history was driven by fear ahead of the August 8, 2026 governorship election.
“The Adeleke government remains the worst in the history of Osun State, judging by its numerous verifiable and monumental failures across all sectors,” the party alleged, insisting that no amount of character assassination would save the governor from electoral defeat.
The opposition party also launched a broad attack on the Adeleke administration, accusing it of incompetence, corruption, impunity, and lack of vision. It claimed that the Ministry of Youth had been “paralysed” by vindictiveness, nepotism, and mismanagement, leaving Osun youths subjected to avoidable hardship despite what it described as the availability of enormous resources.
“As of today, nothing is functioning under Adeleke’s watch,” the APC alleged, adding that the government had shown gross disregard for the rule of law and had failed across critical sectors of governance.
The party expressed confidence that Oyebamiji’s candidacy had gained wide acceptance within and outside the APC, citing his “integrity, dignity, and impeccable track record” as reasons for its optimism.
“Our candidate is marketable, credible, and widely accepted,” the statement concluded. “The people of Osun State are watching, and they are ready to send the Adeleke government packing at the polls in August 2026.”
The APC vowed it would continue to challenge what it described as misinformation from the Adeleke administration while focusing on presenting its agenda to the electorate ahead of the governorship election.
