The political atmosphere in Osun State has become increasingly charged ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) accusing Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration of deploying public funds to induce voters through alleged N20,000 cash transfers to civil servants, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and residents across the state.
The opposition party described the alleged payments as a calculated vote-buying scheme financed with state resources and 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 launch an immediate investigation.
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 allegedly instructed thousands of residents to submit their bank account details before receiving N20,000, describing the exercise as a politically motivated cash inducement designed to influence voting behaviour ahead of the governorship poll.
“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 read.
The party further alleged that the state government transferred N20,000 directly into the accounts of workers and residents despite allegedly failing to remit workers’ contributory pension deductions and cooperative contributions for nearly two years.
According to the APC, the alleged payments exposed what it described as the government’s misplaced priorities, arguing that an administration unable to meet long-standing financial obligations to workers suddenly found resources for widespread cash disbursements on the eve of a major election.
The opposition also claimed that NYSC members serving in Osun, who reportedly receive a monthly N5,000 allowance from the state government, unexpectedly received N20,000 each less than two weeks before the election, raising questions over the timing and motive behind the payments.
The party further accused the Adeleke administration of neglecting pensioners despite making budgetary provisions to settle gratuity arrears.
It alleged that although the state earmarked N6 billion in its 2025 budget for gratuity payments, pensioners had yet to benefit from the allocation.
“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 government, having seen the handwriting of defeat on the wall, is now scrambling to placate angry civil servants and voters with public funds,” the APC alleged.
Escalating its accusations, the party described the alleged use of state funds for political mobilisation as criminal and accused Governor Adeleke of setting what it called a dangerous precedent in electoral misconduct.
The APC further claimed that beneficiaries of the alleged payments were compelled to pledge political loyalty before receiving the funds, describing the practice as an abuse of vulnerable citizens and a violation of democratic principles.
“It is particularly repulsive that the Adeleke government is forcing vulnerable citizens to swear oaths of political allegiance before these N20,000 handouts are disbursed,” the statement added.
The campaign council maintained that a government with a strong performance record would have no need for what it described as “last-minute, panic-driven distribution of state resources.”
It also accused the administration of neglecting critical sectors, including education, healthcare, infrastructure and agriculture, despite receiving substantial federal allocations over the past three years.
The APC consequently demanded a comprehensive forensic investigation into the state’s financial transactions and urged anti-corruption agencies to hold anyone found culpable accountable.
“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 party stated.
The allegations come amid escalating political tensions in Osun, with both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition APC trading accusations over attempts to influence the forthcoming governorship election.
Only days earlier, Governor Ademola Adeleke had publicly appealed to President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the August 15 governorship election remains free and fair, warning that any attempt to manipulate the outcome could plunge the state into political unrest reminiscent of the violence that followed the disputed 1983 elections.
Addressing supporters in Orita-Sabo, Olorunda Local Government Area, the governor accused security agencies, particularly the police, of bias and alleged that APC leaders were responsible for the growing political tension in the state.
“President Bola Tinubu, do not allow the August 15 governorship election to be rigged. Any attempt to manipulate the process could trigger political violence similar to what happened in 1983,” Adeleke warned.
The latest accusations also coincide with an intensifying legal and political dispute between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the freezing of one of the state’s statutory allocation accounts.
Governor Adeleke had earlier alleged that the anti-graft agency planned to freeze additional government accounts, including those belonging to senior officials, warning that such actions would cripple governance barely days before the election.
The state government subsequently confirmed that it would challenge the EFCC’s action at the Federal High Court, describing the Post-No-Debit directive issued on one of its accounts domiciled with First Bank as unlawful and politically disruptive.
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, disclosed that Governor Adeleke had directed the Ministry of Justice to commence legal proceedings against the anti-graft agency, insisting that the account restriction threatens the smooth administration of government at a critical political moment.
With barely days to the governorship election, the twin controversies surrounding the alleged N20,000 cash transfers and the freezing of the state’s allocation account have further heightened political tensions, setting the stage for what observers believe could become one of Osun’s most fiercely contested elections in recent history.
As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Government had not issued any formal response specifically addressing the APC’s allegations of vote-buying through the alleged N20,000 payments.