Osun 2026: MURIC Tells Adeleke to ‘Pack His Dancing Kits’ Ahead of Governorship Election
By KEMI KASUMU
MURIC said the governor would be punished at the polls for what it described as “playing on the intelligence” of Osun Muslims.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has declared that Governor Ademola Adeleke will be defeated in the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State, accusing him of allegedly misleading Muslims in the state.
The group, in a statement issued on Monday, July 27, 2026, by its Executive Director, said Adeleke should begin preparing to leave the Osun State Government House, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, ahead of the election.
MURIC said the governor would be punished at the polls for what it described as “playing on the intelligence” of Osun Muslims.
“As preparations for the gubernatorial election in Osun on 15th August, 2026 enter top gear, we remind Governor Ademola Adeleke to start packing his dancing kits out of Oke-Fia Government House before it is too late,” the group said.
MURIC described Adeleke’s tenure as having reached its end, while claiming that another candidate, whom it referred to as “another Nurudeen, the Nurudeen with capital ‘N’,” was poised to take over the government house.
The group said it could overlook what it described as peripheral political issues surrounding the Adeleke administration, including alleged poor handling of some government projects, local government affairs and examination-related controversies.
However, MURIC said its major concern was what it described as an alleged attempt by the governor to deceive Muslims in the state while denying them political opportunities.
The group argued that its position should not be interpreted as opposition to Christians becoming governors of Osun State.
MURIC cited the administration of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, whom it described as a Christian, as an example of a Christian governor who enjoyed the support of Muslim voters in the state. The group also noted that Oyinlola had a Christian deputy governor, Olusola Obada.
According to MURIC, the major difference was that Oyinlola did not allegedly misrepresent his religious identity to secure political support.
“The secret there was that Oyinlola did not pretend to be a Muslim. He did not attempt to deceive anyone. He was transparent. The case of Adeleke is totally different. He has been too clever by half,” the group stated.
MURIC also compared the situation in Osun with the political arrangement at the federal level under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the President had openly presented a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The group argued that, unlike what it described as an open declaration at the federal level, Adeleke’s administration had allegedly operated under a different political approach that MURIC considered deceptive.
MURIC further alleged that Adeleke, despite being a Christian, had presented himself in a manner that appealed to the predominantly Muslim population of Osun State.
The group claimed that the governor’s political strategy had now been exposed and predicted that voters would reject him at the August 15 governorship election.
“But now the wind has blown. The good people of Osun State have identified with the real Nurudeen,” MURIC said.
The organisation insisted that Adeleke had “crossed the Rubicon” and would be “roundly defeated” in the election, describing the anticipated outcome as punishment for what it called an attempt to take advantage of the intelligence of Osun Muslims.
MURIC concluded its statement with a direct message to the governor, telling him to prepare to vacate the Oke-Fia Government House, while predicting that “another Nurudeen, the Nurudeen with capital ‘N’,” would soon take over the seat of government.
The statement comes as political parties and their supporters intensify campaigns and mobilisation ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.
