The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration of using state funds to induce voters ahead of the August 15 governorship election, alleging that thousands of workers, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and residents received N20,000 payments in what it described as a vote-buying scheme.
The opposition party called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the alleged payments, insisting they constituted an electoral offence.
The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye.
According to the APC, the Adeleke administration had begun “a widespread vote-buying scheme” by allegedly requesting residents to submit their bank account details before receiving N20,000.
“It is deeply disheartening that the Osun State Government has officially commenced a widespread vote-buying scheme. The administration is systematically requesting citizens to submit their bank account details to receive a political inducement of N20,000,” the statement said.
The party further alleged that the state government transferred N20,000 directly into the bank accounts of workers and residents despite allegedly failing to remit workers’ contributory pensions and cooperative deductions for about two years.
“Osun government paid a sum of N20,000 each directly to the workers and residents bank account. These are the same Osun workers the state government have refused to remit their contributory pension and cooperative deductions in the last two years,” the APC alleged.
It also claimed that NYSC members serving in the state, who allegedly receive N5,000 monthly from the state government, unexpectedly received N20,000 each less than two weeks before the election.
The APC further accused the Adeleke administration of abandoning pensioners despite making budgetary provisions for gratuity payments.
According to the party, the state government earmarked N6 billion in its 2025 budget to settle gratuity arrears but allegedly failed to make the payments.
“In 2025, the Adeleke government proposed in the budget to spend N6 billion to offset gratuity arrears. But at the end of it all, it paid nothing to the pensioners. The shylock government, having seen the handwriting of defeat on the wall, is now jumping up and down to bribe and placate angry civil servants and voters,” the statement added.
The opposition party described the alleged payments as “criminal,” accusing Governor Adeleke of deploying public funds for partisan political purposes.
“Governor Adeleke is also rewriting history of electoral fraud by developing courage to be using government fund to buy votes. This is criminal,” it stated.
The APC also alleged that beneficiaries of the payments were being compelled to swear political allegiance before receiving the money.
“It is particularly repulsive that the Adeleke government is forcing vulnerable citizens to swear to oaths of political allegiance before these N20,000 handouts are disbursed,” the party alleged.
The campaign council argued that if the governor had performed well in office, there would have been no need for what it described as “last-minute, panicky distribution of state resources.”
The party also accused the administration of neglecting critical sectors, including education, healthcare, infrastructure and agriculture, despite receiving substantial federal allocations.
It consequently called on anti-corruption agencies and the electoral umpire to investigate the alleged payments.
“We demand a thorough investigation into the state government’s accounts, a strict caution to the administration, and that every individual found wanting in this illegal treasury-looting scheme be brought to book,” the APC said.
The allegations come just days after Governor Adeleke publicly warned President Bola Tinubu against allowing the August 15 governorship election to be manipulated, saying any attempt to rig the poll could trigger political violence similar to that which followed the disputed 1983 elections.
Addressing supporters at Orita-Sabo in Olorunda Local Government Area on Monday, Adeleke accused security agencies, particularly the police, of compromise and alleged that leaders of the APC were behind the political crisis in the state.
“President Tinubu, I am passing this message to you. What else do you want Osun to do for you? We have already endorsed you as our presidential aspirant. What happened? Why are we being killed? They are killing Yoruba. The police is compromised,” Adeleke had said.
The governor also warned against any attempt to manipulate the election outcome.
“President Bola Tinubu, do not allow rigging of the August 15 governorship election in Osun or risk political violence as witnessed in 1983,” he said.
Also, earlier on Wednesday, GISTSMATE MEDIA reported that Governor Adeleke raised the alarm over what he described as credible reports indicating that the EFCC had concluded plans to freeze Osun State Government accounts ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The governor, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Osogbo, noted that the anti-graft agency was also planning to freeze the accounts of top government functionaries, warning that such a move would cripple governance and disrupt the administration’s activities barely days before the poll.
The statement was signed by the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, on behalf of the state government.
According to the statement, the governor expressed deep concerns over the alleged development, describing it as a grave threat to the functioning of the state government if carried out.
Later, the state government said it would head to the Federal High Court to challenge the decision of the EFCC to freeze one of its statutory allocation accounts, describing the action as unlawful and capable of disrupting government activities barely 10 days before the August 15 governorship election.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, disclosed on Wednesday that Governor Adeleke had directed him to institute legal action against the anti-graft agency following the freezing of the state’s account.
According to Jimi-Bada, a “Post-No-Debit” directive issued by the EFCC was forwarded to the management of First Bank, where the Osun State Government maintains the affected account.
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