The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has commended the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in last Saturday’s poll, Bola Oyebamiji, for calling for peace in the state after visiting President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

In a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, obtained in Osogbo on Friday, Adeleke said Oyebamiji’s demand for peace remained “a positive tone after weeks of heated campaign and election season.”

The statement said the governor, who earlier met with Tinubu on Thursday, described the peace advocacy by the APC candidate as “a good development for the Osun people,” who experienced trauma and violence in the last two months ahead of last Saturday’s elections.

Noting the call for restraint by all political parties, the statement said the governor had reviewed the pre-election climate of fear and conflict and indicated that his team had never subscribed to violence as a weapon of political campaign, even when under severe pressure in the countdown to the poll.

Rasheed said the governor recounted the pain he went through to restrain his supporters from retaliating against attacks, adding that Accord lost 15 members, with 20 injured and scores in police detention.

“I am forever a man of peace. It is heartwarming that my brother, Oyebamiji, is also preaching peace. I assure him that my supporters have not and will not attack APC members.

“Elections have come and gone and we are all winners. The common task for us all is to sustain delivery of democratic dividends and good governance to the good people of Osun State.

“I welcome Mr Gboyega Oyetola, Bola Oyebamiji and other opposition leaders to join hands with me to take Osun to greater heights. We are all important stakeholders in this Osun project,” Adeleke said.

The PUNCH reports that the incumbent Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, was declared elected by the State Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole.

Adeleke won the governorship poll with a total of 511,067 votes to defeat Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 444,815 votes.

Source: punchng.com

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Isaac Fayose, younger brother of a former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has lamented being abandoned by politicians he backed in past elections.

He said he now felt like “a lonely voice in the wilderness” after years of personal and financial sacrifice for figures who later turned their backs on him.

The businessman made this known in a video shared on his Instagram page on Friday. He spoke in a mix of Pidgin English and Yoruba.

“Nigeria is a bad country. Very bad. I’m now like an orphan. I’m now like a lonely voice in the wilderness,” he said.

Fayose recalled his ordeal from 2018, when he stood by his brother during the latter’s face-off with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

He said he personally confronted the then acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over the matter.

“I struggled with my brother. No, no, no, no, we won’t agree. I even followed him to EFCC. We shouted, ‘Magu, Ole! Magu, Ole!’ Magu said, ‘Who is this boy calling me Ole? They should go and look for anything to rope him.” he said.

Ayo Fayose was arraigned by the EFCC in 2018 over alleged fraud linked to his tenure as governor and later regained his freedom on bail.

He was succeeded that October by Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, who defeated the PDP’s candidate in the governorship election.

Isaac said the matter was still trailing him in court to this day, even as his brother’s child was set to be sworn in as a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

“Up till today, they still rope me into a matter that I am still going to court for. That my brother now has taken an appointment. His child is about to be a member of the House of Assembly in Ekiti.

“I’m now on my own, facing my problem. They said, ‘We told you, Isaac, keep quiet, keep quiet.’ You didn’t listen,” he said.

He also spoke about the personal cost of his political involvement, saying he cut short his mourning to answer a call for help ahead of Ekiti’s 2026 governorship election.

“What a pity. See Ekiti. I went to bury my wife. Where I was, Oluyede called me. He said, ‘Please, please, let’s take our state back.’ I see how people are suffering. I said no, I was coming.

“I quickly buried my wife and hurriedly ran home. I got home, spent my money, did everything, election eve,” he said.

He was referring to Wole Oluyede, the PDP governorship candidate for the June 20, 2026 Ekiti election.

Oluyede’s path to the poll has been turbulent, his November 2025 primary win was nullified by a Federal High Court, and INEC later excluded his name from its candidate lists over the PDP’s national leadership crisis, though his camp has gone to court to compel its inclusion.

He is running against the incumbent, Biodun Oyebanji of the APC, who is seeking a second term.

Isaac said the associate had since distanced himself from him.

“They were calling me, ‘Oga is here, Oga wants to talk.’ Oluyede has not come to greet me since that time. He has gone back to the President. And even the governor that I was fighting, they are taking pictures together. They are now friends,” he said.

Isaac also referenced Osun State’s governorship politics, recalling both the 2022 election and the more recent one held on August 15, 2026.

“Look at Osun, 2022. I nearly removed my head,” he said, referring to the personal toll of his involvement that year, when Ademola Adeleke first won the governorship on the platform of the PDP, defeating the then-incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.

He said he was drawn into the governor’s re-election bid this time as well, despite being in Australia when the call came.

“This time too, as I was in Australia, the governor of Osun called me, Governor Adeleke. He said, ‘Isaac, we need you on board the election.’ I put everything on my head. We won’t agree, we won’t agree,” he said.

Adeleke, who has since defected from the PDP to the Accord Party, was declared winner of the August 15 election by INEC, polling 511,067 votes to defeat the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815.

Isaac said the governor travelled to Abuja shortly after his victory to show his certificate of return to President Bola Tinubu, a gesture he described as a betrayal of the loyalty he had shown during the campaign.

“Six days after, the governor is in Abuja, showing his certificate, his return certificate, to the President. It’s like I’m alone. What a pity,” he said.

Drawing a comparison with reconciliations elsewhere, he cited the public rapprochement between singer Davido and Rivers State Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.

“Davido that we were shouting, he and Wike are now hugging each other. Everybody is now smiling with each other together,” he said.

Isaac said he had turned down cash and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon offered to him during past elections, insisting that his interest was in the welfare of his people rather than personal gain.

He, however, decried the culture of vote-selling among the electorate, saying many still sold their votes despite the sacrifices made on their behalf.

“They came to meet me, they gave me money, I said I don’t want. They gave me G-Wagon, I said I don’t want. I want my people to go. Even the people I was fighting for, election day, they will sell their vote again,” he said.

He said he was alone in recognising the state of affairs in the country, but described himself as isolated in speaking out against it.

“It’s now like I’m the only one seeing the rubbish going on in my country. I am now alone, now looking like a zombie. It’s lonely at the top,” he said.

Source: punchng.com

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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday received his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission and announced plans to establish a N500m election violence victims endowment fund.

The certificate was presented to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner representing the South-West, Prof Kunle Ajayi, at an event attended by political associates of the governor and members of his cabinet.

The PUNCH reports that Adeleke was declared winner of the governorship election by the State Returning Officer of INEC, Prof Joshua Ogunwole, on Sunday.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.

Speaking during the ceremony, Adeleke lauded the roles played by different segments of the state in his victory at the poll.

He said, “This certificate does not belong to Ademola Adeleke alone. It belongs to the people of Osun State: our workers, market men and women, youths, traditional and religious leaders, and every citizen who participated in this democratic process.

“I am deeply humbled by the confidence you have renewed in me.”

Speaking on those injured and killed in the build-up to the election, the governor said a verification and relief committee, to be chaired by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, would administer the fund and oversee the transparent identification of victims and equitable distribution of support.

“But even in victory, we must be sober in reflection. Citizens were injured, properties and livelihoods were destroyed and, most painfully, precious lives were lost.

“It is deeply painful that any family should have to bury a loved one because of politics. No election, political office or ambition is worth the life of a single citizen.

“We remember Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera, and every other victim of electoral violence.

“Regardless of political affiliation, they were first our brothers, sisters and fellow citizens. To their families, your pain is our pain, and your loved ones will never be reduced to mere statistics,” the governor added.

He said his family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, would provide full scholarships up to university level for the children and dependants of those who lost their lives.

“The Osun State Government will also establish a N500m election violence victims endowment fund to support verified victims and affected families.

“A verification and relief committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adewale Olumide Egbedun, will oversee the transparent identification of victims and equitable distribution of support.

“This is not a political intervention. It is a humanitarian responsibility.

“No eligible victim will be excluded because of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status. In grief, there is no political party. In our common humanity, we are one people,” he said.

Gunshots at Ataoja palace

Meanwhile, gunshots rang out near the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo for about 15 minutes on Wednesday following an attack on the governor’s convoy during a visit to the monarch.

The nephew of the governor and Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, however, said the incident had nothing to do with him or his uncle.

The incident occurred between 3:50 pm and 4:10 pm, shortly after Adeleke had left the hall where the Ataoja hosted him.

The governor, in a large motorcade of about 20 vehicles, had arrived at the palace at about 3:15 pm after leaving the Osun State headquarters of INEC, where he received his certificate of return.

An eyewitness, who craved anonymity for security reasons, told The PUNCH during a telephone interview that Adeleke and his team were received in the palace hall by Oba Oyetunji, where the governor reportedly presented his certificate of return to the monarch.

The source confirmed that Adeleke and his team had left the palace before the ensuing gunshots.

“He was already in the bus that brought him and his close aides to the palace when we started hearing heavy gunshots.

“The shooting lasted about 12 to 15 minutes before the governor’s convoy eventually left the palace,” the source said.

A trader near the palace, identified simply as Munirat, said the attackers might have learnt of the governor’s visit to the monarch.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, confirmed the attack.

“They are hoodlums, and the governor’s security repelled them. They attacked the governor’s convoy in Ataoja’s palace. No casualty,” Alimi said.

As of 4:45 pm when our correspondent left the scene, many business owners had hurriedly closed their shops to avoid being caught in the attack.

Making a clarification in a post on his official X account on Wednesday, Davido said the attack occurred outside the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo and had nothing to do with him or his uncle.

“It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us,” the singer wrote.

Police confirm one dead

The state police command, however, confirmed one resident, Tajudeen Yusuf, was shot dead during the ensuing melee, as it commenced a probe into the incident.

Giving updates on the incident in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said one Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged,” an ex-convict, a suspected thug and a member of eye confraternity allegedly attempted to gain access to the Afrobeats star, Davido who had accompanied the governor to the palace, but was resisted by members of his security team.

Ojelabi said, “On Wednesday, 19th August 2026, at about 1600hrs, the command received information that one Tajudeen Yusuf, male, aged 60 years, of Oke-Ayepe area, Osogbo, was shot by suspected hoodlums at Itaolokan area of Osogbo.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that earlier in the day, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, accompanied by his nephew, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, paid a courtesy visit to the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, at the palace.

“Immediately after the visit, one Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as ‘Small Rugged’, an ex-convict, a suspected notorious thug and a member of the Eye confraternity, allegedly attempted to gain access to Davido but was resisted by members of his security Team.

“The ensuing confrontation reportedly attracted other suspected gang members in the vicinity, who temporarily blocked the entrance to the palace and obstructed the movement. The convoy eventually left the area safely.

“Shortly afterwards, the suspected gang members reportedly departed the vicinity; however, on their way, they allegedly shot Tajudeen Yusuf at Itaolokan area of Osogbo.”

He further said that upon receiving the information, the police immediately mobilised a patrol team to the scene, where the victim was found lying in a pool of blood,  adding that he was promptly rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for medical attention, where he was pronounced dead by the doctors on duty.

He said the command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident and intensified efforts to identify, apprehend and bring the fleeing suspects to justice.

Reacting through the statement, the Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, Mr Samuel Etaifo, condemned the killing and assured members of the public that the command would deploy all available resources to apprehend those responsible.

“The command therefore urges anyone with useful information that could assist the investigation to promptly approach the nearest police station or contact the command through its official channels. Members of the public are also advised to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands,” the statement further read.

Source: punchng.com

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