The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, of avoiding critical issues raised by the group regarding his relationship with the Muslim community.
In a statement issued on Monday, MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Ishaq Akintola, said the governor failed to adequately address allegations of religious marginalization and claims of maintaining a “double religious identity.”
The group was reacting to a recent response by the Osun State Government through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, who dismissed MURIC’s earlier allegations against the governor.
MURIC maintained that Governor Adeleke’s administration had shortchanged Muslims in political appointments, alleging that the governor appointed 17 Christian commissioners compared to only seven Muslims. The organization challenged the state government to publish a comprehensive list of commissioners, board chairmen and heads of parastatals to enable the public verify the religious balance of appointments.
According to Akintola, the government’s response failed to provide figures that could counter MURIC’s claims, describing the defence as inadequate.
The Islamic advocacy group also faulted the government for allegedly failing to address accusations relating to the governor’s religious identity and claims of financial impropriety. MURIC argued that the silence on those issues amounted to an admission of guilt.
The organization further insisted that many Muslims across the country were dissatisfied with what it described as the governor’s handling of religious matters, urging him to apologize to Muslims whom it claimed had been offended by his actions.
MURIC denied allegations that it was acting on behalf of any political party, insisting that its interventions are guided by the interests of Muslims regardless of political affiliations.
The group concluded by warning that Governor Adeleke would face political consequences ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship election, declaring that the “people’s court” would ultimately judge his performance.
The Osun State Government has previously rejected MURIC’s allegations, describing them as misinformation and maintaining that appointments under the Adeleke administration are based on fairness, competence and inclusiveness.
