Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, last night, told President Bola Tinubu, not to allow what happened to Chief Bola Ige in the 1983 national election repeat itself after he was allegedly cheated at the polls.
Bola Ige’s 1983 re-election bid as governor of the old Oyo State ended in one of the most controversial elections of Nigeria’s Second Republic.
Ige had been elected governor in 1979 on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
However, in the governorship election held on 13 August 1983, he sought a second term against Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo of the federally ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
The Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO), would later declare Olunloyowinner with 1,603,267 votes, against Ige’s 1,095,877 votes, according to the figures recorded in the subsequent Supreme Court judgment.
Ige and the UPN rejected the declaration, alleging extensive electoral manipulation, inflated figures, improper collation and other irregularities.
The result was especially shocking because Oyo was regarded as one of the strongest centres of the UPN and of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s political movement.
In 1979, the UPN had overwhelmingly dominated Oyo State. The dramatic reversal four years later—giving the NPN about 58 per cent and the UPN approximately 39 per cent—was regarded by many UPN supporters as politically implausible and evidence that federal institutions had been mobilised to remove Ige.
Scholarly accounts described the wider 1983 elections as deeply compromised and accompanied by violence, partisan security intervention and ineffective judicial remedies.
Ige had immedialy filed an election petition asking the court to declare that Olunloyo had not been validly elected and that he, Ige, should be returned as governor.
A five-member Oyo State High Court election panel considered the case. The decision was sharply divided: Three judges dismissed Ige’s petition.
Two dissenting judges concluded that the election was invalid and should be cancelled, with a fresh election conducted.
There was a legal complication. Ige’s original petition principally asked the court to declare him the rightful winner. His lawyers later sought to add an alternative request for the entire election to be annulled, but the panel ruled that the request came outside the legally permitted period.
The majority therefore dismissed the case, and his appeals ultimately failed at both the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Olunloyo was sworn in on 1 October 1983, replacing Bola Ige. But his tenure lasted only three months. On 31 December 1983, the military overthrew President Shehu Shagari’s government, bringing the Second Republic—and Olunloyo’s governorship—to an abrupt end.
The balanced historical conclusion was that legally and officially, Ige lost the 1983 election to Olunloyo.
Politically, Ige and a substantial section of the public believed the election had been manipulated by the NPN-controlled federal establishment.
The courts did not overturn the result, although two members of the original five-judge panel believed the election was sufficiently defective to warrant a fresh poll.
The controversy over Ige’s election, alongside the even more violent dispute in Ondo State between Michael Ajasin and Akin Omoboriowo, helped destroy public confidence in the Second Republic and provided part of the justification subsequently advanced by the military for the December 1983 coup.
Speaking at the Accord Party campaign rally in Olorunda Local Government at Sabo junction, Osogbo, he told the president that, “something is happening in Osun State that you need to know. Our people are being killed, and as our father, we are appealing to you. We will not accept any attempt to rig this election.
“You will remember what happened in 1983. It started in Yorubaland, particularly in Ondo State, when Chief Bola Ige, was allegedly cheated. We do not want history to repeat itself. What we want is a free, fair, and credible election.
“Mr. President, I am passing this message directly to you. We have publicly endorsed you for the 2027 presidential election. What more do you want from us? Why then are our people being killed? The police have been compromised.”
He asked Tinubu to direct police authority to concentrate on tackling the kidnappers and other criminals troubling his administration instead of intimidating innocent people.
“As the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, I am telling you that our people will come out en masse to vote, and we will protect our votes. Once again, I appeal to you: do not allow what happened in 1983 to happen again in Osun State.
“The Accord Party has also endorsed you as its presidential candidate. Why then are we being subjected to this hardship? Why is our money being withheld?
“Former Governor Gboyega Oyetola needs to be called to order. Mr. President, you fought for democracy. Do not allow your brother to undermine it. Oyetola is responsible for the crisis within the APC in Osun State because he is fighting everyone and making enemies daily. He is no longer the governor of this state.
“With God on my side, I am confident of victory. If this election is free and fair, I will win. I, therefore, call on President Tinubu to rise to his responsibility. Do not allow innocent people to be killed.
“Direct the police to act professionally and impartially. The international community is watching, and this election will be seen as a test ahead of the 2027 general election.
“You fought for democracy, and I urge you not to allow anyone to destroy it. Oyetola is disrupting governance in Osun State and targeting political leaders, including Senator Francis Fadahunsi and Hon. Oluwole Oke.
“I urged Accord supporters to come out on August 15 and vote for me, Standby your votes until the results are declared. I am ready for this election, and on August 15, our revolution will be through the ballot box.”
Adeleke Campaign Petitions NHRC over Alleged Police Intimidation Ahead of Poll
The campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging widespread human rights abuses, politically motivated arrests and intimidation of its members ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
It, therefore, called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to guarantee a free, fair and credible poll.
The petition came as the national leadership of Accord declared that the Osun governorship election would serve as a major test of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) preparedness for the 2027 general election, urging the electoral body and security agencies to remain neutral throughout the exercise.
Addressing journalists after submitting the petition at the NHRC headquarters in Abuja, the spokesperson of the Imole Campaign Council, Mr. PelumiOlajengbesi, accused the Nigeria Police Force of being deployed as an instrument of political oppression against supporters of the governor.
He alleged that several members of the campaign organisation had been arbitrarily arrested and detained in different police formations across the country solely because of their political affiliation, insisting that the trend posed a threat to the credibility of the forthcoming election.
Olajengbesi said the petition became necessary because of what he described as “reckless abuse of human rights” allegedly taking place across Osun State in the build-up to the governorship poll.
“We have come to the National Human Rights Commission to place before the commission the reckless abuse of human rights that is happening currently in Osun State just because elections are approaching.
“We want the Inspector-General of Police to assure Nigerians and the people of Osun State that the coming election will be credible and that the police still have the capacity to provide security for the safety of the people of the state. We have every reason to be worried about the position of the Inspector-General of Police,” he said.
The campaign spokesperson claimed that following complaints over the arrests of its supporters, the Commissioner of Police in Osun State was initially transferred and about 26 detained members were released, but alleged that the police commissioner was later returned to the state after pressure from unnamed interests.
“We were informed that the Inspector-General of Police was threatened that the Commissioner of Police must be returned to Osun State and now he has been reinstated. This is actually very wrong.
“We want an Inspector-General of Police that has the capacity and integrity to stand by his decisions and ensure that the Nigeria Police is not used as an institution to abuse human rights during the coming election.”
In a related development, Accord Party hass said the Osun election presented an opportunity for INEC to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement by its National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, the party urged the electoral commission to ensure seamless deployment of electoral materials and eliminate operational failures that could undermine the credibility of the poll.
“The Osun governorship poll is a litmus test of INEC’s readiness for the 2027 general election. There should be no excuse for poor performance, including any form of glitches. The commission should adequately test-run its electoral materials because all eyes are on it to conduct a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive election,” Mgbudem said.
Accord also urged security agencies to remain politically neutral, warned against vote-buying, and insisted that every lawful vote must count.
He endorsed Adeleke’s re-election, citing what it described as achievements in infrastructure, education, healthcare, workers’ welfare and security, and urged Osun voters to return him to office to consolidate on ongoing development programmes.
Adeleke: I Have Settled N80bn Inherited Salary, Pension Obligations, Half Salaries
Governor Ademola Adeleke has said his administration has cleared over N80 billion in inherited salary and pension obligations including a substantial portion of the backlog of pension arrears and half salary debts.
Speaking at a town hall interactive “Day out with Governor Ademola Adeleke and Osun State Workers” organised by the Osun joint LabourMovement, the governor also made it known that he had implemented the current minimum wage of N75,000, making Osun one of the very few states to do so.
He equally stressed that his administration has restored regular and prompt payment of salaries and pensions.
“We restored the office of Permanent Secretaries to strengthen professionalism. We funded outstanding promotions. We enrolled pensioners and traditional rulers into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme free of charge.
“We recruited teachers to strengthen our schools. We created opportunities for thousands of our young people through various empowerment and digital training programmes. These achievements were not done to seek applause. They were done because it was the right thing to do.”
Adeleke, however, reiterated again that his administration remained fully committed to the welfare of Osun workers, women and youth, saying they should rest assured that once the newly proposed minimum wage was agreed upon, he would be ready to give it immediate approval and implementation in Osun State.
“Your decision to stand firmly for truth and continuity despite intimidation demonstrates commitment to the future of our dear State. For this, I thank every worker and every pensioner across Osun State,” he said.
Oyebamiji Questions Adeleke’s Use of N16bn Allocation, Unveils 100-Day Agenda
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, has criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration over its management of the state’s federal allocation, alleging that the government has little to show despite receiving an average monthly allocation of about N16 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Speaking yesterday during a parley with media editors in Lagos, Oyebamijicontrasted the current allocation with the approximately N2.6 billion monthly received by the immediate past APC administration of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, arguing that the significant increase in revenue had not translated into meaningful development for the people of Osun State.
“The last allocation received by the APC administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola from the Federation Account Allocation Committee stood at approximately N2.6 billion. Today, the average monthly allocation to the state is about N16 billion, yet there is no commensurate value to the state and its citizens,” he said.
He further alleged that several infrastructure projects executed by the current administration were awarded secretly to incompetent contractors, adding that many of the projects had failed even before they were commissioned.
According to him, the situation underscored the need for a change in leadership, urging Osun residents to vote for the APC in the forthcoming governorship election.
Presenting himself as a credible alternative to the incumbent administration, Oyebamiji cited his experience as Commissioner for Finance under the administrations of former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Oyetola, as well as his tenure as Managing Director of the Osun Investment Company Limited, now Omoluabi Holdings Limited.
He also unveiled his administration’s proposed “Prosperity Agenda,” a seven-point development blueprint focused on poverty alleviation, workers’ welfare, job creation, transparent governance, economic growth, youth and women empowerment, security, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, culture and tourism.
The APC flag bearer pledged that, if elected, his administration would, within its first 100 days in office, review all outstanding entitlements owed to serving and retired workers and commence immediate payment.
He also promised to make the Dagbolu Dry Port operational and provide ICT training and empowerment for at least 10,000 youths through strategic partnerships.
Other initiatives planned for the first 100 days include institutionalisingmonthly State Security Council meetings involving security agencies, traditional rulers and local government leaders; launching pilot off-grid renewable energy projects in selected public institutions and rural communities; conducting a comprehensive fiscal sustainability review of the state’s revenue, expenditure and debt profile; and carrying out a statewide infrastructure audit to identify priority economic roads and other critical infrastructure.
APC: Our Mission is to Win the Guber Poll
The National Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Osun governorship election has said its mission is to win the forthcoming Osun election in the state.
Chairman of the council and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during a meeting of members of the council.
“The plan is to go and support our brothers and sisters in Osun State to win the forthcoming election. This meeting is not for merrymaking. It’s not for any jamboree.
“To officially mandate all the subcommittees to meet as soon as possible, between now and Thursday, and bring up ideas and services they think they can render to ensure that our task is made easier.
“And what is their task? To win the governorship election in Osun State. Any other thing will be left till after the elections. But the most important things are things that will make us win the election properly.
“I, therefore, urge all the chairmen of all the subcommittees to submit to the national secretary of this committee all their resolutions and proposals that will enable them to work, and where they think the Central Working Committee will help them to be able to actualize their mission.
“We have only one mission, to win the election. Everything can come after the elections.”
Uzodimma noted that the finance subcommittee was mandated to collect all contributions from willing members and non-members, who want to make contributions to the Osun governorship election.
Yinka Kolawole , Adedayo Akinwale, Sunday Aborisade and Wale Igbintade
