The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to sanction the Minister of Marine And Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, over purported threats to rig the 2026 governorship elections.

Naijaonpoint reports that in a statement issued to journalists and signed by its State Chairman, Sunday Bisi, the PDP disclosed that Oyetola allegedly made the statement during the All Progressives Congress (APC) state caucus meeting on Friday, July 25, 2025.

Oyetola was also alleged to have said he blocked Governor Ademola Adeleke from joining the APC, stressing that the opposition party in Osun state failed to win the last election because late President Muhammadu Buhari refused to instruct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police to work for the party.

However, the PDP described Oyetola’s remark as the most brazen declaration of intent to destroy democracy and a condemnable signal to abuse state power to deny the Osun people the legitimate rights to choose their leader in a democracy.

The PDP stated that Tinubu should sanction Oyetola for bringing the name of the Federal Government into disrepute.

The party noted that the Osun people reject threats and intimidation as tools for politicking, vowing that Governor Adeleke will win the 2026 election because he has the solid support of the people, as his governance records are exemplary.

The statement reads, “The Osun state chapter of the PDP is alarmed by several media reports of some inciting statements credited to the former Governor of Osun state and current Minister of Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola on his role in the withholding of Osun local governments allocations and the plan to thwart the will of electorates in the forthcoming 2026 governorship elections.

“We waited for more than 48 hours with the expectations that the Minister will deny the reports but till now, he has remained silent. We are encouraged therefore to belief that the Minister actually made those threatening remarks.

“For records purpose, the Minister was alleged to have told the closed door, high level caucus meeting of the party the following:

“I blocked Gov 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 might to prevail upon the Attorney General of the Federation not to recognize the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which clearly recognized the election of the PDP chairmen and councilors.

“The Attorney General is working on a loophole that will allow the withheld local government funds to be released to the court- sacked APC chairmen and Councilors.

“Otherwise, the Osun State withheld funds will not be released until after the Gubernatorial Election in 2026, in order to turn the grassroots against Governor Adeleke.”

“As a party, we have no issue with the Minister’s position on the recent defection politics, we however challenge the Minister to deny and clarify other statements he allegedly made at the said state caucus meeting as they pose serious danger to democratic practice, undermine the credibility of critical state institutions and constitute gross abuse of powers and violations of the constitution.

“While we are of the considered view that President Bola Tinubu is not aware of the open threats to sack democracy in Osun by his cousin and the Minister of Blue economy, we call on Mr President to sanction the Minister for dragging the name of the Federal Government into disrepute.

“We also call on Mr President to counter-order the Attorney General of the Federation to obey the Court of Appeal judgement which recognizes the duly elected PDP chairmen and councilors and release Osun state local government allocations without further delay.

“We are also alerting men of goodwill and the diplomatic community of the open declaration of war on the people of Osun state by a Minister who is still bitter about his rejection at the poll by the good people of Osun state in 2022.

“We inform the global community of an open genocidal threat to democratic practice as Osun people will defend their votes irrespective of the threats from anti-democratic elements”