ARISE TV, one of Nigeria’s leading national television channels, hosted a governorship town hall meeting in August 2026 ahead of the Osun State governorship election, featuring three of the leading candidates in the race.
The programme featured incumbent governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, who is seeking a second term, alongside Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dr Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The candidates presented their visions and manifestos for the state ahead of Saturday’s election.
For this fact-check, The FactCheckHub focused exclusively on claims made by Adeleke and selected some of them for verification, given the volume of claims made during the programme and for the sake of brevity.
READ: Fact-checking Peter Obi’s claims on Channels TV
CLAIM 1
Osun is the only state in the South West without an airport.
FINDINGS
Adeleke claimed that Osun is the only state in the South West without an airport.
For administrative and political representation, Nigeria is grouped into six geopolitical zones: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South and South West. The South West geopolitical zone comprises six states: Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Oyo.
An assessment of aviation infrastructure across Nigeria’s South West geopolitical zone, shows that the other five states in the region, Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun, have operational commercial, passenger or agro-cargo airport facilities.
Specifically, Lagos, Oyo, and Ondo states have long had operational commercial airports. In addition, the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Airport and Ogun State’s Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport have been commissioned and received regulatory approval to commence flight operations.
In contrast, the MKO Abiola International Airport in Moshood Abiola/Ido-Osun, Osun State, remains a project yet to be implemented, making Osun the only state in the South West without an operational airport.
VERDICT
The claim is TRUE. All five other states in the South West have operational airports, while Osun remains the only state in the region without an operational airport.
CLAIM 2
Osun State rose from 33rd to 7th in NECO/WAEC examination performance during his tenure.
FINDINGS
Adeleke claimed that Osun State’s performance in the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations improved from 33rd to seventh place during his tenure.
Adeleke also posted the claim on X on 6 May 2025, citing the Standard Educational Performance Ranking of States 2024 report, published by NECO.
According to the document, Osun State ranked seventh, behind Lagos, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Ogun and Katsina states.
However, data analysis by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), an independent, Nigerian investigative journalism organisation, found that the NECO ranking cited by the governor was based solely on the number of candidates who obtained at least five credits, including Mathematics and English. While Osun had 29,101 candidates who met this benchmark, placing it seventh nationally by volume, an assessment based on the actual pass rate among candidates who sat the examination puts Osun’s success rate at 70.52%, ranking it 13th nationally, behind states including Abia, Imo, Ebonyi and Lagos.
According to the analysis, using the number of candidates rather than the percentage who passed to rank educational performance can be misleading, as states with larger populations are likely to have more candidates sitting the examination.
VERDICT
The claim is MOSTLY TRUE. While Osun ranked seventh by the total number of candidates who met the pass benchmark, largely reflecting its candidate volume, its performance based on the percentage of candidates who passed places the state 13th nationally.
CLAIM 3
Adeleke claimed his administration recruited more than 1,500 Amotekun personnel.
FINDINGS
The governor claimed that his administration recruited more than 1,500 Amotekun personnel.
Operation Amotekun, formally known as the Western Nigeria Security Network, is a regional security initiative established by the South West states to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities across the region.
In January 2025, Dr Adekunle Isaac Omoyele, Commander of the Osun Amotekun Corps, said the corps had an initial strength of 320 personnel inherited from the previous administration before the Adeleke administration’s recruitment exercise. He added that Adeleke had approved the recruitment of 1,000 additional operatives to complement the existing personnel.
Following their selection and training, Adeleke presided over the passing-out parade of 1,150 newly recruited Amotekun cadets on 28 March 2025 at the Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Ede, Osun State.
The recruitment exercise brought the corps’ strength to 1,150 newly recruited operatives. However, Adeleke’s claim that his administration recruited “more than 1,500” personnel is not supported by the available records. The 1,150 new recruits, combined with the 320 personnel inherited from the previous administration, amount to 1,470, which is 30 short of 1,500.
VERDICT
The claim is MOSTLY TRUE. Adeleke’s administration undertook a significant recruitment exercise for the Osun Amotekun Corps, but available official records show that 1,150 new operatives were recruited. This falls short of the “more than 1,500” claimed by the governor
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CLAIM 4
Adeleke claimed his administration has paid over N80 billion to pensioners.
FINDINGS
Governor Adeleke said during the town hall meeting that his administration had disbursed more than N80 billion to settle inherited pension debts and gratuities.
Findings from statutory records of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and state financial reports indicate that, while Osun State has periodically issued bond certificates to contributory pensioners and released funds for the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), there are no published, audited PenCom records or independent financial reports validating a cumulative N80 billion payout during his tenure.
According to PenCom’s sub-national compliance status reports, Osun State has implemented the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) but still has significant outstanding liabilities relating to accrued rights and pension arrears inherited from previous administrations. Although state government statements, including those reported by The Guardian Nigeria, confirm periodic payments to retirees and next of kin, there is no independent financial audit or verified PenCom remittance record publicly available to substantiate Adeleke’s claim.
VERDICT
The claim is UNPROVEN. While the administration has made payments towards pension liabilities and released pension bonds, no independent audited financial records or verified PenCom documents have been published to substantiate the claimed N80 billion figure.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
