Adeleke threatens N5bn defamation suit against Osun APC

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday, threatened a N5bn defamation lawsuit against the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state.

The threat followed an alarm by the APC that a certain chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State was plotting a violent attack ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state.

The Osun APC’s Director of Media and Information, Mr Kola Olabisi, in a statement on Wednesday, referenced certain viral video, in which an unnamed PDP chieftain spoke of bombing the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osun State.

ADVERTISEMENT

Olabisi said the PDP chieftain, in the video, expressed apprehension that the party may not win the 2026 governorship election in Osun.

According to the APC, the said PDP chieftain was captured in the video saying: “It is the example of what the APC would do in Osun State that it did in Edo State last week. Whoever wants to die, let him die.

“There ought to have been a clandestine arrangement where one or two chartered bomb-laced helicopters would have been stationed in the neighbouring Delta State from where they would have successfully bombed the INEC office, where close to 150 and 200 innocent people including the Resident Electoral Commissioner, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, the Returning Officer and presiding officers would have met their untimely death.

“I can remember that we suggested the same maximum violence for Osun State during the 2022 elections in the state but it was needless as we won the election. We must realise the fact that the Osun APC never knew that they could lose the 2022 governorship election. If we slack now and allow them to win the 2026 governorship election, there is no way that the PDP would take it back from them again till eternity.

“We must be prepared towards the next election and be ready to kill close to 200 innocent people, including the REC, the AIG, the Returning Officer and the Presiding Officers through the bombing of the INEC office so that they won’t be able to either collate or count the ballot papers let alone announce any result.

“We should work towards it as no one would know who might have carried out the dastardly act. Go and kill the people to implicate the INEC. They won’t be able to declare the results. It would attract the attention of the United Nations.”

Commenting, Olabisi expressed dismay that close to a week after the video went viral, neither the Osun governor nor the PDP leadership in the state had condemned it, saying that the development had made the governor and his party prime suspects in the alleged plan.

He subsequently urged the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the matter to bring to book whoever might be behind the alleged plan to spill the blood during elections.

Olabisi added, “Why are Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers afraid of losing the election when it was apparent that it was a party that lost to the PDP and the heavens did not fall? In a similar manner, when Governor Adeleke loses the forthcoming governorship election, the heavens would also not cave in.

“If the PDP promoters of violence should be allowed to act according to their threat, it would be on record that a clarion call was earlier made to the security agencies in this regard. Prevention is far better than cure.”

Reacting, Mr Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson for Governor Adeleke, threatened to direct his lawyers to sue Olabisi and demand N5bn as damages over the allegations.

Describing Olabisi’s statement as irresponsible, Rasheed asked him to retract the unfounded allegations or face legal action.

“The allegation is reprehensible, baseless and defamatory. Mr Governor has ordered his lawyers to review the situation and demand retraction as the governor did not and has not in any way planned or plotted any attack on either INEC or any electoral official.

“Upon failure to retract the offensive publication, the state director faces a potential libel suit to the tune of N5bn damages. This deliberate falsehood will have consequences.

“Ever since the Edo election, many operatives of Osun APC have been boasting across media platforms to violently rig 2026 governorship elections. We have all the clips of threats and vow to snatch 2026 ballots at all costs.

“As a populist and performing leader, Governor Adeleke is, however, not bothered by those rantings, as the Osun PDP has the enhanced backing of the people of Osun State,” Rasheed said.