ThePen

31/07/2026

OSUN'S FIRST GUBERNATORIAL CONTEST: ADELEKE VS SALAMI IN 1991

By
[ Bolaji Olukunle Akande ]*
*December 1991 | Osogbo, Osun State*

The maiden governorship election in Osun State in 1991 featured a contest between two young politicians with shared political origins, setting the tone for the new state’s democratic journey.

*Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke* of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, aged 36, faced *Adebayo Alao Salami* of the National Republican Convention, NRC, aged 40, in the race to become Osun’s first elected civilian governor. Both men had earlier belonged to the People’s Front, PF, a political association within the SDP, before aligning with rival parties.

Salami entered the poll with the full backing of a united NRC, having emerged unchallenged from the party primaries. He was expected to draw support from both the NRC structure and his former PF network across the state.

Adeleke’s emergence as the SDP candidate was more contentious. His principal challenger, *Oladosu Oladipo*, alleged irregularities in the initial primary and cited membership returns from Ede and Ifelodun LGAs to dispute the outcome. Following a rerun supervised by the party, Adeleke secured the ticket with 95,519 votes to Oladipo’s 53,761, even amid threats of litigation.

On the campaign trail, Salami emphasized his background in public service and accounting as proof of administrative competence. Adeleke, on the other hand, highlighted his academic credentials, business experience, and commitment to attracting investment to the newly created state.

Ahead of the December election, Adeleke projected a landslide victory of between 75% and 85%. Salami countered that governance experience, rather than party dominance, would determine the outcome. Political observers at the time described the race as too close to call.

*ADDENDUM*
Isiaka Adeleke won the election and was sworn in as the first civilian governor of Osun State, and the second governor overall since the state’s creation. His younger brother, *Senator Ademola Adeleke*, currently serves as the governor of Osun State.

Both Adeleke and Salami later represented their senatorial districts in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

May Almighty Allah have mercy on their souls and grant them Al-Jannah Firdaus. _Amin_ 🤲🏻🇳🇬

29/07/2026

How I evaded DSS operatives who were sent to my home in 2021 — Sunday Igboho

Sunday Adeyemo, known as Sunday Igboho, the well-known Yoruba Nation activist, has described how he evaded operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) during the highly publicized raid on his Ibadan home in July 2021.

Igboho said the agents surrounded his residence but failed to capture him, even mistaking a cat for his person and bringing in what he called a “fake herbalist” to perform rituals in an effort to locate him.

Recounting the episode while receiving Muslim delegations at his Ibadan home on Monday, he said he remained inside the house throughout the operation but the operatives did not find him.

He recalled that the intruders arrived around 1:30 a.m.; after hearing noises he asked who was there and they began firing into the room.

When they scaled the fence and breached the property they detonated an explosive at the entry point, shattering everything.

He said he had been naked but put on a jean and shirt after hearing them; part of him wanted to surrender while another part feared being killed.

At one point he shouted to ask what was happening and why they had come to arrest him, and the operatives opened fire at close range without seeing him.

He said they forced the door, threatened his personal assistant Dudu by aiming a gun at his head while he pleaded at the door, and that people circulated lies claiming he had been shot and fled horribly wounded.

Rejecting stories that he transformed into a cat to escape, Igboho insisted he did not turn into an animal and that the operatives killed the cat believing it was him.

He added that the supposed herbalist they brought was only chanting and performing rituals while he watched from inside, unseen.

He also said a partially blind man who came out was shot because the operatives thought he was attacking; the agents removed bodies as proof that they had entered the home.

Igboho credited his survival to a prayer led by Muslim clerics in his house, which he said averted a bad vision they claimed to have seen about him.

The DSS had entered Igboho’s Soka residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, in the early hours of July 1, 2021, after months of heightened tension between the activist and the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari (now late).

Igboho had drawn national attention by issuing an ultimatum to some Fulani residents in parts of Oyo State, accusing them of involvement in kidnappings and other violent crimes; he vowed to drive criminal elements among the Fulani out of Yorubaland and stepped up his push for an independent Yoruba Nation.

The Federal Government regarded some of his actions as a national security threat and sought to arrest him.

During the raid, the DSS said it recovered fi****ms and ammunition from the property and detained 13 of Igboho’s associates, and the agency reported that two of his aides were killed during an alleged exchange of gunfire.

After the operation, Igboho fled Nigeria and was later arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while attempting to travel to Germany.

He was released by Beninese authorities after months of legal proceedings and has since lived in self-imposed exile in Benin Republic, from where he continues to advocate for the Yoruba Nation cause.

(Source: Punch Newspapers)

27/07/2026

For 8 years as Governor, Peter Obi said he couldn’t conduct Local Government elections in Anambra because it was “beyond his control.”

Today, the same man says he can solve Nigeria’s problems — over 230 million people — in 4 years.

If he couldn’t deal with LGA issues at the state level, how exactly will he confront the cabals and serious security challenges that President Tinubu is tackling right now?
Let’s be honest.

Is He Capable?
---

Do REMEMBER TO FOLLOW US 💥🙏

26/07/2026

*But if the Red Sea no divide That Day* 🤔
*Those Israelites for flog Madness commot for Moses body o😂💔*

_Adisa Mi Sabi_👑💓

26/07/2026

26/07/2026

Happy Sunday Family!
Let’s settle this debate *once and for all* 👇

*Who is the RICHEST among these 4 Governors?*
1. Seyi Makinde Seyi Makinde
2. Ademola Adeleke
3. Dapo Abiodun Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun - MFR
4. Babajide Sanwo-Olu Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Vote and give your reason 👇 🔥

Drop your answer! Let’s see who sabi politics + money matters 💰😂

PLS REMEMBER TO FOLLOW US 💥🔥🙏

26/07/2026

25/07/2026

25/07/2026

25/07/2026

ALGON Appoints Caretaker Committees for Transport Unions in Osun

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Osun State Chapter, has announced the appointment of caretaker management committees to oversee transport union activities across the state following the leadership crisis that recently affected the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The decision was reached after an emergency meeting held on Tuesday, July 22, 2026, involving the chairmen of the 30 Local Government Councils, Ife East Area Office, Modakeke, and leaders of transport unions, including motorcycle and tricycle operators.

According to ALGON, the crisis within the NURTW had become a serious security concern, posing a threat to public safety and disrupting transportation services relied upon by thousands of commuters across Osun State.

The association reaffirmed that the suspension of the NURTW leadership and all transport union activities, earlier announced by the local government chairmen, remains in force pending further review. ALGON explained that the action was taken under the constitutional authority of local governments over public motor parks as provided in Paragraph 1(e) of the Fourth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

To ensure uninterrupted transport services, caretaker management committees have been constituted for the NURTW, the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and the Motorcycle and Tricycle Unions.

For the NURTW Chief Kazeem Oyewale was appointed Chairman, Mutiu Ayinde as Secretary, and Luqman Ahmed as Treasurer.

For RTEAN Rasheed Ayinde emerged as Chairman, Mufutau Adebisi as Secretary, while Wahab Maruf Dodo was named Treasurer.

For the Motorcycle and Tricycle Unions, Ismaila Raimi was appointed Chairman, Adebayo Tajudeen as Secretary, and Tajudeen Akeem as Treasurer.

ALGON directed that all union properties be handed over to the newly appointed caretaker committees and urged security agencies to facilitate a peaceful transition.
The association also commended the Nigeria Police Force for its swift intervention in preventing violence during Monday's crisis and restoring peace to motor parks across the state.

ALGON appealed to transport operators, stakeholders, and the general public to cooperate with the caretaker committees while security agencies were urged to maintain surveillance at motor parks to guarantee the safety of commuters.
The association assured residents that it would continue consultations with stakeholders and the national leadership of the transport unions to achieve a lasting resolution to the crisis.

The statement was jointly signed by the Chairman of ALGON, Osun State, Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, General Secretary Hon. (Barr.) Olubisi Oladosu, and the Public Relations Officer, Hon. Mufutau Adegbite.