𝐎𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐀𝐏𝐂 𝐢𝐚 𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝔹𝕪 𝔸𝕙𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝔸𝕘𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕒𝕜𝕒 & 𝔸𝕕𝕖𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕠 𝔸𝕕𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕛𝕚

At a time when wisdom demands diplomacy and respect, the Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, chose to launch a direct and disgraceful attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Instead of seeking collaboration or common ground, Rasheed’s so-called "open letter" reads like a political ambush, rife with accusations, threats, and utter disrespect.

One would expect someone in the position of the Spokesperson to understand the power and responsibility of words. But clearly, Rasheed himself is in dire need of advice on how to communicate with both decency and intelligence. His letter, rather than building bridges, burns them entirely, targeting the President and the very foundation of the APC in Osun State.

In his letter, Rasheed boastly declares:

"Sir, I declare that by all accounts, Ademola Adeleke has within less than three years, responsibly and productively governed the state with deliveries and dividends that surpass the combined output of 12 years of the previous APC rule."

He adds:

“Hence, today, Osun APC and its aspirants are unelectable. I am very sorry to note that those who misled and mismanaged your cousin and his political project are still the same set pushing the same failed strategy which led to the APC defeat in 2022.”

If you tell the national leader of a party to his face that the governments he contributed in their installation were lacklustre, is that not a direct insult on that particular leader? The judgement of a national leader who supervised failure in Osun State for 12 years should not be trusted, that is the import of Adeleke's spokesperson's message to President Tinubu.

Rasheed further claims:

“APC lost over 40 percent of its members to the PDP, that is why former Governor Rauf Aregbesola also pulled out of the party and worked with PDP.”

Again, these are not mere political opinions, they are direct attacks. By calling the Osun APC a complete failure, and linking that alleged failure to the President himself (a national leader of the party and cousin to the former Governor), Rasheed crosses every line of political decency. He accuses President Tinubu of mismanaging his cousin, of being responsible for APC’s 2022 loss, and even insinuates that Tinubu plans to rig the 2026 election.

This isn’t just disrespectful. It’s reckless.

What makes this more baffling is the rumour that Governor Adeleke may soon join the APC. If that is true, then what exactly is Rasheed trying to achieve with this combative posture? If Adeleke and his team truly intend to align with APC, are they planning to hijack the party and push out its existing members, as they did to the founding fathers and financiers of the PDP like Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, former Deputy National Chairman of PDP; Rt Hon. Adejare Bello, former Speaker of the state assembly and governorship running mate to Senator Iyiola Omisore in 2014; Senator Iyiola Omisore himself; Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, founder of Mutual Assurance and aspirant whose mandate was reportedly stolen during the PDP primary that produced Senator Ademola Adeleke in 2018? Omooba Dotun Babayemi, who jostled the PDP governorship ticket with Adeleke in 2022; Kayode Oduoye (Superkay), main financier of Osun PDP before the return of the Adelekes to the party in 2017; Prince Kazeem Alao, SSG in the administration of ex-Governor Oyinlola; Dr Peter Babalola, Chief of Staff to Oyinlola; Senator Felix Ogunwale and many others too numerous to mention. Is this what they expect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to support?

To insult a party and its leader, and in the same breath entertain the idea of joining that same party, is not just hypocrisy, it’s a provocation. It is an insult that deserves a response.

This is not a matter to overlook. Rasheed’s letter is an open challenge to the President Tinubu's leadership and legacy. It reflects the level of resentment the Adelekes have towards APC and its leaders in Osun. Is their rumoured coming to the APC not going to spell doom for the party in the short term and in the long run? It is obvious.