The Osun State Government has launched a scathing rebuttal against Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), following his recent allegations that Governor Ademola Adeleke has been marginalizing the Muslim population within his administration. Represented by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state government characterized Professor Akintola’s assertions as blatant misinformation, urging the cleric to adhere to the spiritual principles of the Quran and Hadith in his public commentary. The state government maintains that these accusations are not only unfounded but appear to be politically motivated.
Defending the inclusive nature of the current administration, Commissioner Alimi highlighted the strategic appointments of several prominent Muslims to high-ranking government positions. He noted that the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, and the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, are both practicing Muslims, with the latter being a known student of the revered Sheikh Kamaludeen Al-Adabiyy. Furthermore, the administration’s spokesperson and the Commissioner for Information himself are identified as devout Muslims. Alimi argued that these appointments demonstrate Governor Adeleke’s commitment to religious diversity and his alignment with the inclusive leadership philosophy exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Beyond human resource appointments, the state government pointed to tangible developmental projects aimed at supporting the Muslim community in Osun State. Most notably, the administration has initiated the construction of the Osun Hajj Camp, a landmark project that effectively ends the state’s long-standing status as the only one in the Southwest without such a facility. Additionally, Governor Adeleke has authorized the establishment of a mosque within the Government House to cater to the spiritual needs of Muslim staff members. These actions, according to the government, directly refute the narrative that the current leadership harbors any prejudice against the Islamic faith.
Commissioner Alimi took the opportunity to admonish Professor Akintola to practice the principle of fact-checking, referencing Qur’an 49:6, which warns against accepting or spreading rumors without verification. The government encouraged the MURIC director to shift his focus toward objective governance metrics, such as budget implementation, debt management, and the state’s commendable performance in the healthcare sector. Specifically, the government cited accolades that saw Osun rated as having the best primary healthcare services in the Southwest for both 2024 and 2025, suggesting that these verifiable achievements should be the true basis for evaluating the administration’s performance.
The rivalry took a more intense turn as the government accused Professor Akintola of using religion as a veil for partisan antagonism. Alimi alleged that the MURIC director is acting as an agent for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and challenged him to be transparent about his political affiliations rather than engaging in “hatchet job politics.” The state government further dared MURIC to condemn acts of violence allegedly perpetrated by thugs in APC-branded campaign vehicles in various regions of the state, arguing that failing to do so would confirm that his vocal opposition is a paid service to the political rivals of the current government.
In its concluding remarks, the Osun State Government challenged the credibility of the opposition’s figures, specifically pointing to the puzzling inclusion of the name “Munirudeen” in the credentials of the APC governorship candidate—a name allegedly absent from his earlier educational documentation. Commissioner Alimi insisted that governance should be judged on service delivery, infrastructure, and job creation rather than the manipulation of identity politics. The administration reaffirmed its commitment to serving all citizens of Osun State regardless of faith and declared that it would not be distracted by what it termed as baseless, religiously-colored political attacks.