The agreement movement called the Assembly’s claims “stupid, politically motivated

New political disputes erupted in Osun State following claims made by the House of Representatives regarding the transfer of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Accord Liberation Movement strongly criticized the House’s position as misleading and devoid of substance.

The bench, led by Speaker Adewale Egbedun, has raised concerns over what they described as a “deliberate pattern” of influencing the electoral process through the reinstatement of Permanent Electoral Commissioners and other key officials. They also suspected the possibility of external influence in the post, especially the one that accused Gboyega Oyetola.

However, in a sharp rebuttal on Wednesday, Yusuf Adegboye, who represents the Accord Liberation Movement of the Accord Party in Osun State, rejected the Assembly’s claims as baseless and politically charged.

Adegboye accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives of having a pattern of baseless accusations, stating that “the Speaker likes to level obscene accusations against the people, especially the Minister of Blue Economy.”
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He further questioned the premise of the Assembly’s concerns, arguing that the transfer of election officials was routine and did not determine the outcome of the election.

“What is new in the REC post,” he asked, adding that, “Ignorance is responsible for assuming the REC has influence in state elections, especially isolated elections.”

The Accord chairman also described the Assembly’s concerns regarding the Ife/Ijesa axis as misplaced, and insisted that the reality of the recent elections had reflected the political dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the region.

“He also revealed his ignorance and well-founded fear of Ife/Ijesa Senatorial District, if not disappointment, the disappearance of Senator Francis Fadahunsi and three Members of Parliament from the district is enough of a sign that there is no other party other than APC in the area,” Adegboye said.

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Highlighting key political figures from the district, he added, “Fadahunsi is undoubtedly one of the most influential politicians in Osun, while Honorable Oluwole Oke is one of the few MPs who has returned to the National Assembly 5 times and the only one in the history of the state. Honorable Bimbo Ajilesoro, representing Ife Federal Constituency, has been returned twice, while Hon Sanya Omirin, representing Ijesha South Federal Constituency is a grassroots mobiliser, who has delivered influence since serving as LG Secretary and then chairman before becoming Representative.”

Adegboye further argued that political power in Osun is not limited to one district, as Osun Central Senatorial District also has influential APC figures. He pointed to the presence of Senator Ajibola Basiru, the party’s National Secretary, and Olubiyi Fadeyi Ajagunla, whom he described as a hardworking lawmaker representing the district, as evidence of the party’s entrenched structure across the state. He further stated that the Minister of Blue Economy and former governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola also hails from the Central Senatorial District, making the district another place where APC influence is huge and a no-go area for Governor Ademola Adeleke and his lackeys in the state Assembly.

The Assembly, in an earlier address, had stated that any attempt to manipulate the electoral process would be resisted, stating that the people of Osun remained vigilant and committed to a credible election. They also asked the international community to monitor developments closely.

Adegboye, however, denied that such statements risked inflaming the government, stressing that the integrity of the election should not be undermined by what he described as speculative allegations.

The exchange underscores the growing political tensions ahead of the gubernatorial election in Osun State, with parties accusing each other of control, influence and credibility of the electoral process.