The countdown to Saturday’s Osun State governorship election has entered its final stretch, and the state government has given public workers one less thing to worry about: work.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has declared Friday, August 14, 2026, a work-free day for public servants across Osun State, allowing them to travel, return to their communities and prepare to participate in Saturday’s election.
The declaration was contained in a circular issued by the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina, and shared on Wednesday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on X.
According to the government, the decision was taken to give workers who need to travel enough time to do so and exercise their constitutional right to vote.
However, the holiday comes with an important exception.
Workers involved in emergency and essential services are expected to remain at their duty posts.
Adeleke Tells workers: ‘The Time For Action Has Come’
While announcing the work-free day, Adeleke also turned his attention to the election itself, urging Osun workers, their families, friends and other residents to come out in large numbers and participate in the poll.
The governor called on workers to defend their votes and support what he described as the gains recorded by his administration over the past three and a half years.
In a pre-election message, Adeleke praised organised labour and public servants for their support, describing the relationship between his administration and workers as mutually beneficial.
But his message was not simply a thank-you note.
It was also a mobilisation call.
“The time for action has come,” Adeleke said.
He urged formal workers employed by the state government to reach beyond the civil service and mobilise informal workers, artisans and professional groups ahead of the election.
“As formal workers at state establishments, I task you to mobilise informal workers, artisans and professional bodies,” he said.
With the election only a day away, Adeleke also urged voters to remain firm in exercising their constitutional rights.
He said the poll presented an opportunity for residents to determine whether the direction taken by his administration over the past three and a half years should continue.
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“We must remain strong in defence of our constitutional rights to vote and be voted for,” the governor said.
The statement comes amid heightened political activity across Osun as candidates and their supporters make their final appeals to voters.
For Adeleke, however, the argument is straightforward: the election is not only about choosing a governor but also about deciding what happens to the policies and programmes his administration says it has implemented.
‘We Cannot Return To Dark Days’ — Adeleke
The governor further urged voters to protect what he described as the achievements of his administration.
He pointed to his government’s relationship with labour and maintained that his administration had delivered across several areas affecting workers and residents.
“We must defend the gains of the last three and half years plus. Ours is a workers-friendly government which has delivered across board to labour and Osun people. We cannot and must not allow a return to dark days,” he said.
The declaration of Friday as a work-free day therefore serves two purposes: giving workers the opportunity to get home ahead of Saturday’s vote, while also putting them at the centre of Adeleke’s final mobilisation effort.
By Saturday, the campaign speeches will be over.
...ers will remain, the political arguments will continue, but the real decision will belong to the voters, and Osun workers are now being given the time and space to make theirs.