Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has condemned remarks by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, accusing the former governor of threatening to rig the August 15 governorship election. GeographicReference

In a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke described Oyetola’s comment—“A maa gba lowo e” (meaning we will snatch it from him)—as an open threat to the integrity of the electoral process.

The governor called on national and international democracy groups to intervene, insisting that the people of Osun would resist any attempt to undermine their democratic rights.

Adeleke defended his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu, saying it was a demonstration of electoral strength rather than weakness, and proof of his ability to mobilise votes for the President in the state.

He accused Oyetola of damaging the president’s image and deepening the All Progressives Congress (APC )’s unpopularity in Osun. According to him, Oyetola’s alleged statement that the APC would “snatch” the election amounted to an admission that the party had lost voter confidence and was now focused on manipulation.

“The minister has made a mockery of innocent Accord members who were killed and maimed by APC thugs in cold blood in the last two months. He has told the world that he is pushing to deny the people their rights to vote and be voted for,” Adeleke said.

He added: “The bad news for the minister is that Osun people are determined to resist his sadistic agenda. Our people rejected him in 2022, and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, next Saturday. We are winning this election by the grace of God and the mass support of the people. We will be re-elected by the choice of the voters, not by snatching their democratic rights.”

Adeleke urged democracy advocates across Nigeria and the international community to pay close attention to developments in Osun, stressing that the state was determined to protect the integrity of the August 15 poll.