The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has denied allegations by the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he made threats to manipulate the 2026 governorship election in the state, saying that the party is paranoid of looming defeat.
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Akinsola said that the Minister did not and could never have uttered any of the statements attributed to him.
He challenged the PDP to produce any verifiable evidence, audio, video, or minutes of the alleged meeting to support their claims.
According to Akinsola, in a statement signed on Tuesday, “Our attention has been drawn to a shameful and poorly scripted press statement issued by Sunday Bisi, Chairman, Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“The statement is riddled with lies, fabrications, and reckless propaganda aimed at maligning the person of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola (CON), and by extension, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Let it be made abundantly clear that every single claim in the PDP’s concocted tale is false, malicious, and baseless. It is nothing more than a deliberate smear campaign borne out of paranoia, fear, and desperation, as the PDP stares down the barrel of a looming defeat in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.
“Contrary to the irresponsible fabrications released by the PDP, the Honourable Minister did not and could never have uttered any of the statements attributed to him. The entire press statement is a classic example of political fiction-writing, reflective of a party that has become increasingly unhinged in the face of its declining popularity.
“At no point did the Honourable Minister threaten to rig any election. He remains a firm believer in democracy and the rule of law, a legacy he upheld throughout his tenure as Governor of Osun State and continues to embody in his current capacity as Minister.
“The Honourable Minister has no control, nor has he ever claimed to control INEC, the Police, or the Attorney General of the Federation. The wild claims about ‘federal might’ are not only laughable but an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence and democratic institutions.
“The allegations concerning local government allocations and court rulings are mischievous distortions* by a party trying to mask its own incompetence in governance and failure to engage constructively on matters of public interest.
“The PDP’s ridiculous resort to dragging the diplomatic community into their web of lies speaks volumes about their intentions, to incite, confuse, and distract the public from the real issues plaguing Osun State under their watch.
“We challenge the PDP to produce any verifiable evidence, audio, video, or minutes of the alleged meeting, to support these outrageous claims. Until then, the world should treat their statement as nothing but what it is: the dying gasp of a political party on the verge of another resounding electoral defeat.
“The Honourable Minister and the APC remain committed to free, fair, and credible elections in Osun State and across Nigeria. We urge the good people of Osun to ignore the distractions of the PDP and stay focused on the mission to restore competent, people-oriented governance in 2026.
“Enough of the theatrics. Osun deserves better than a party that governs by press release and paranoia,” he said.
Earlier, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised serious concerns over alleged remarks by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, which the party claims were made during a closed-door All Progressives Congress (APC) state caucus meeting.
In a statement issued in Osogbo, the PDP described the purported comments as “a brazen declaration of intent to undermine democracy and a troubling indication of plans to misuse state power to deny Osun citizens their right to choose their leader in 2026.”
The party referred to multiple media reports quoting Oyetola, a former governor of Osun State, as admitting to obstructing the release of local government allocations and plotting to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election.
According to the PDP, the Minister was alleged to have told the caucus: “I blocked Governor Adeleke from joining the APC. Otherwise, all your ambitions would have been in jeopardy. I gave a guarantee to Mr President that APC can win in Osun without Governor Adeleke.
“We lost the 2022 election because Buhari refused to instruct INEC and the Police to work for APC. I have secured the cooperation of the Police and INEC to ensure that APC wins the Osun 2026 gubernatorial election.
“I have employed federal influence to prevail upon the Attorney General of the Federation not to recognise the Court of Appeal ruling that affirmed the election of PDP chairmen and councillors. The Attorney General is exploring a loophole to channel withheld local government funds to the court-sacked APC officials. Otherwise, the funds will not be released until after the 2026 governorship election to turn grassroots voters against Governor Adeleke.”
The PDP said it had waited over 48 hours for a rebuttal from the minister but none had been issued, interpreting the silence as tacit confirmation of the allegations.
“As a party, we have no objection to the minister’s stance on recent defection politics. However, we challenge him to deny or clarify these reported statements, which threaten democratic values, compromise critical state institutions and represent an egregious abuse of power,” the statement read.
The party called on President Bola Tinubu to sanction the minister for what it termed “dragging the Federal Government into disrepute” and to instruct the Attorney General to comply with the Court of Appeal’s decision recognising duly elected PDP local government officials and to release the withheld allocations immediately.
The PDP also warned that the people of Osun would resist any attempt to subvert their electoral will.
“We alert men of goodwill and the diplomatic community to what we see as an open declaration of war on Osun by a minister still embittered by his 2022 defeat. Our people reject intimidation as a political weapon.
“Governor Adeleke will secure re-election in 2026 on the strength of his governance record, the overwhelming support of the people and divine providence,” the statement concluded.
