The governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, Dr Oyelami Saliu, has cautioned against wishing Governor Ademola Adeleke dead, insisting that the governor would live to hand over power after the election.

Saliu, a medical practitioner, made the remark on Friday during the 10th edition of the Media Parley organised by the Osun Online Publishers Association, OOPA, while reacting to the recent stage collapse involving Governor Adeleke.

He said he wished the governor a long life beyond the end of his tenure, declaring that Adeleke would remain alive to hand over power to him should he win the election.

“Adeleke will not die; he will be alive to hand over to me. Political contests should not be accompanied by ill wishes or hostility towards opponents,” he said.

Speaking on the performance of the current administration, the PRP candidate acknowledged that Governor Adeleke had made efforts in office but argued that the achievements recorded so far were insufficient to meet the aspirations of the people of Osun State.

“The incumbent governor of Osun State has done his best. Clearly, it is time to change the current leadership. It is time for the PRP to take over the reins of governance in Osun State,” he said.

Saliu further stated that his decision to contest the governorship election was informed by his belief that Osun required a different approach to governance and development.

“If Governor Adeleke was doing well enough, I would not be contesting against him,” he added.

The PRP flagbearer assured residents that his administration would perform better across various sectors if elected and pledged to sustain ongoing projects initiated by the present government that were beneficial to the people.

On the issue of airport development in the state, Saliu said he would conduct a detailed assessment of the two airport projects currently under construction before deciding which one would be most viable for completion.

He explained that his administration would prioritise projects based on feasibility, economic benefits and their capacity to drive development across the state.

The governorship candidate while expressing confidence said his party could provide the leadership required to move the state forward.

African Democratic Congress chieftain, Dele Momodu, has predicted that the 2027 presidential election will be tough for President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking during an interview on Nevon Media with Oseni Rufai, on Friday Momodu expressed optimism that the candidate of the ADC, Atiku Abubakar, will win the election.

According to him, if Atiku can hold his ground in the southern part of the country while dominating the north, he will easily defeat both President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi.

“As I predicted, Atiku will win the majority of the North, and if he is able to compete favourably in the South, it will be over for President Tinubu and Peter Obi. 

“Atiku will secure at least 25% of the votes in 26 states while also dominating the North, which is where the bulk of the votes are,” he said.

He further stated that to win a presidential election in Nigeria, the constitution requires a candidate to secure the highest number of total votes, plus at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the states.

He expressed the belief that Atiku is on track to clear this hurdle by locking down the high-voting northern states.

His prediction comes as the key political rivals prepared to face off again. In the previous 2023 election, Bola Tinubu won the presidency with roughly 37% of the vote, relying on a powerful base in the South-West and a steady spread of votes across the country.

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The Special Adviser on Media to Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti, Mr Yinka Oyebode, has predicted that there would be a good turn out in the Saturday governorship election in the state.

He also predicted that the exercise might be one of the most peaceful in the history of Ekiti.

Oyebode made the prediction when he received some media executives in Ado Ekiti on Friday.

He attributed his prediction to the free space Governor Oyebanji gave all the political parties to campaign across the state.

He said before now, the state recorded violence during elections because of the stifling of political activities of the opposition by the government in power.

Oyebode stressed, “But, this time, the governor regarded Ekiti citizens as one entity, hence the enabling environment given to the opposition parties to operate freely.

“Everyone in Ekiti enjoys equal rights and freedom irrespective of political, religious or cultural affiliations.”

The governor’s aide attributed violence during elections to what he tagged reactionary actions of the opposition from a hostile political environment, most times the created by the government in power.

But reviewing the process so far, Oyebode said that Ekiti remains the most peaceful state in the country.

“We expect a very good turnout. We have seen it even in the collection of PVC.

“So far people have made almost 91 per cent of the collection. And there has been a remarkable improvement in what we had in terms of voter registration in the previous elections.

“Again, there is no report of the opposition saying that they were not allowed to operate, ,unlike the situation before now and this is a clear indication that we are expecting a peaceful and violence-free exercise tomorrow,” he said.