Governor Ademola Adeleke, Accord governorship candidate, and his political supporters have come under renewed scrutiny after a social media post circulated a video allegedly showing individuals taking an oath before mobilisation for the Osun governorship election, although the video’s authenticity, date, location and precise context have not been independently established.
The allegation was raised in a post on X, which described the footage as evidence of an oath-taking exercise involving supporters of Adeleke ahead of Saturday’s election.
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The post questioned why supporters would allegedly take an oath if the governor’s camp was confident of securing sufficient electoral support.
It also accused the political camp of resorting to fear and coercion, while calling on voters to reject what it described as “politics of desperation”.
There is, however, no independent evidence presently establishing that the people seen in the footage are Adeleke supporters, that the gathering took place at the governor’s country home in Ede, or that any oath was administered as part of an official Accord mobilisation exercise.
Those distinctions are important in a politically charged election taking place on Saturday, August 15.
The circulation of an unverified video should not, by itself, be treated as proof of wrongdoing by the governor or his campaign organisation.
The allegation nevertheless carries political resonance because accusations involving oath-taking and traditional rituals have surfaced in Osun politics before.
In June 2024, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress accused Adeleke of compelling commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators to swear an oath of continuous support for the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
APC chairman Tajudeen Lawal alleged that the purported oath invoked Ogun, the Yoruba deity associated with iron.
Lawal said at the time: “Adeleke has now resorted to forcing commercial motorcycle and tricycle riders in the state to swear to an oath of continuous support for the PDP.”
The allegation was rejected by the Osun PDP leadership.
The party’s chairman, Sunday Bisi, described the accusation as a false campaign against Adeleke and argued that the governor had sufficient political support without resorting to coercion.
“Governor Adeleke will need to force support,” Bisi said, dismissing the accusation and pointing instead to what he described as the administration’s record in welfare and infrastructure.
The resurfacing of similar claims on the eve of the 2026 election therefore comes against a backdrop of increasingly intense political competition.
Adeleke is seeking a second term on the Accord platform after the Osun PDP adopted him as its candidate under the party’s support arrangement with Accord.
The PDP directed its structures across the state to work for his re-election.
His principal challenger is Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, while former Osun State House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam is contesting under the African Democratic Congress.
Recent reporting has identified Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam as the most visible contenders in the race.
The contest has also featured competing claims about electoral intimidation, voter inducement and the credibility of the process.
Adeleke has repeatedly urged voters to protect their voting rights.
In July, he warned residents against surrendering their voter cards for monetary inducements, alleging that such activities could disenfranchise voters.
The governor called on electoral authorities to investigate the claims.
The governor has also publicly framed the election as a contest that should be decided by voters rather than coercion.
In March, he told party leaders that “Osun people are passionate about free and fair elections” and said candidates’ responsibility was to present their manifestoes and seek votes.
Oyebamiji has similarly sought to position his campaign around the democratic process.
In June, the APC candidate said democracy should be a contest of ideas and service rather than violence, adding that no political office was worth human blood.
The latest video allegation therefore arrives at a particularly sensitive moment.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed that the Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.
The election is expected to draw 2,339,233 registered voters across 3,763 polling units, 332 wards and 30 local government areas, according to recent reporting.
Against that backdrop, political actors and voters face an important responsibility: separating verified evidence from campaign rhetoric.
For the allegation contained in the circulating video, key questions remain unanswered.
Who recorded the footage, when and where was it recorded, who are the people shown, what exactly were they doing, and was the activity connected to Adeleke’s campaign?
Until those questions are independently answered, the footage remains an allegation rather than established evidence of an organised oath-taking exercise by the governor’s supporters.
The wider significance is nevertheless clear.
With Osun voters heading to the polls within hours, claims capable of inflaming political or communal tensions require particular care from candidates, parties, journalists and social media users.
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The decisive test will ultimately be at the ballot box, where voters are expected to exercise their constitutional choice freely and peacefully.
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Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
