ABUJA, NIGERIA — Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has launched a scathing attack on Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for endorsing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid less than 24 hours after securing his own governorship victory, questioning the deaths recorded during the violent lead-up to the election.
Sowore expressed his criticism in a post on his official X handle on Monday, alleging that close to 50 people lost their lives in the violence that marred the election period. He questioned why political actors had remained silent on the deaths and demanded accountability for those responsible.
“These evil people had to sacrifice close to 50 lives in violence before and during the Osun election, all just to prove that ‘agreement is agreement,'” Sowore wrote.
The activist also took aim at Adeleke’s decision to support Tinubu, claiming the governor based the decision on their shared Yoruba identity. “And when I said Adeleke has nothing upstairs, it took him less than 24 hours after INEC declared him the winner to prove that. He had to announce that he was supporting Tinubu re-election because Tinubu is a Yoruba man,” he wrote.
Sowore demanded answers regarding the violence, questioning who killed the victims, who ordered or enabled the violence, and where the justice was for the families of those who lost their lives. “Who killed them? Who ordered or enabled the violence? Who is investigating their deaths? Where is the justice for their families?” he asked, before concluding with the words: “Wicked people.”
The activist’s criticism comes amid growing scrutiny of Adeleke’s swift endorsement of Tinubu, which many political observers have interpreted as a strategic move to align with the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections. The governor’s decision has drawn mixed reactions, with some praising his political pragmatism while others, like Sowore, have condemned it as a betrayal of the people who voted for him.
Sowore, who has been a vocal critic of both Tinubu and the political establishment, has consistently called for accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral processes. His latest outburst is likely to further fuel the debate over the conduct of the Osun election and the political calculations that followed.
As of press time, neither Governor Adeleke nor the Osun State Government had issued an official response to Sowore’s allegations. The Independent National Electoral Commission has also not commented on the violence reported during the election period.
