A civil group, Osun Democrats for Democracy (ODD), has alleged the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s efforts at winning the state in the 2027 general elections.
The group in a statement by its Director of Press, Adebisi Adegboye, a copy obtained by NAIJAONPOINT on Sunday, alleged that the former governor of Osun was prioritising his personal interest above that of the president through his actions in the state.
Adegboye said the comments made by the All Progressives Congress senatorial aspirant for Osun West, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, that Oyetola allegedly blocked the move by President Bola Tinubu to bring Governor Ademola Adeleke to the APC showed that the Minister was allegedly not prioritising the President’s interest.
NAIJAONPOINT reports that a circulated video on Saturday, captured Dr Ogunbiyi saying that the President told leaders of the APC during a meeting that he wanted Adeleke in Osun to make things easier for him.
The senatorial aspirant who spoke in Yoruba language in the 30-second video also claimed that the President said Oyetola blocked the move.
However, the former gubernatorial aspirant, in a rebuttal, signed by Engr Dare Ojo, dismissed the claim as false, adding that he was quoted out of context.
Ogunbiyi said former Governor Oyetola, alongside leaders of the Osun APC, during the meeting with President Tinubu, firmly assured him (Tinubu) of the party’s strength and readiness to dislodge the incumbent administration.
“The Osun APC delegation not only demonstrated the party’s clear pathway to victory in the August 15 governorship election but also exposed how the Adeleke-led government has been undermining federal government initiatives and unfairly demonising the President among the Osun electorate,” he noted.
The group in the statement also alleged that Oyetola imposed the gubernatorial candidate of the APC and aided the local governments’ chairmen and councillors elected under the APC to tamper with the council funds.
“The latest in the series of affront and negative actions against the Presidency is the revelation by Dr Akin Ogunbiyi. The President invited Governor Adeleke to join his party; Oyetola blocked the process. He imposed an unpopular gubernatorial candidate and ostracised other leaders and aspirants within the party.
“The Minister while dropping the names of Mr President embarked on an illegal journey of hijacking local government councils, thinking that would give him control of the grassroots and block the financing capacity of the state government. The strategy has backfired with the residents hating and cursing Osun APC daily and negatively rubbing off on Mr President whose name the minister is using to perpetrate those unpopular, illegal actions.
READ ALSO
•2026: President Tinubu Told Us He Wanted Ademola For Osun – APC Chieftain
•‘I Was Beaten For Supporting Tinubu, APC’ – Ijoba Danku Speaks From Hospital Bed
“The Minister’s Yes/No chairmen are currently dipping their hands into the LG fund under what many residents know to be an illegal and criminal enterprise. While local workers are bailed out by the state government, the APC Yes /No chairmen are busy paying themselves fat salaries and allegedly spending N600 million per local government on road grading. The situation deepens Osun grassroots anger against Osun APC,” the statement noted.
The group further alleged that the Marine Minister stopped President Tinubu’s agenda which involved holidaying on the home front to allow him to focus on other geopolitical zones in the 2027 battles.
“Part of it includes outsourcing Osun to an ally with the popularity and wherewithal to handle the state without distraction for the President. The Adelekes were headhunted for that task. The minister has been working against the winning plan,” it added.
NAIJAONPOINT reports that a former deputy governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, after his disqualification alongside six other gubernatorial aspirants, accused the Marine Minister of being behind their disqualification to favour Mr Bola Oyebamiji.
However, the former Osun governor dismissed the allegations, describing the claims as “baseless, misleading and totally false.
The Minister, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Bolaji Akinola, said he had no involvement, direct or indirect, in the actions or decisions of either the Screening Committee or the Screening Appeal Panel.
Also, Dr Akinola in February, 2026, dismissed claims linking the minister to the management of local government finances, describing the allegations as “fabricated, malicious and misleading.
According to him, Oyetola has no constitutional or statutory role in local government finances and has never issued directives to banks or interfered with the administration of local councils.
Efforts to reach Dr Bolaji Akinola for a reaction, proved abortive.
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
🚨BREAKING: Watch The Video Clip Here ➤
