Panic broke out on Wednesday when a stage hosting an Accord Party rally in Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, collapsed with Governor Ademola Adeleke and several top officials on the platform.
The incident occurred during the launch of the Imole Canvassers initiative, organised by Accord candidate for the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Pelumi Olajengbesi. The event was convened to inaugurate about 10,000 canvassers tasked with promoting the Adeleke administration’s programmes and policies across Osun East Senatorial District.
The stage became increasingly overcrowded as appointees and security operatives joined party leaders on the platform. The structure gave way when the governor rose from his seat to acknowledge the crowd, with others on stage moving simultaneously, throwing the platform off balance.
Among those who fell were the governor, his sister Modupe Adeleke-Sanni, Chief of Staff Kazeem Akinleye, Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, and campaign spokesperson Pelumi Olajengbesi. Some party members and officials sustained varying degrees of injury. Security operatives moved quickly to assist the governor and other dignitaries off the damaged structure, and the event was brought to an abrupt end.
A video of the moment circulated widely on social media, showing the platform buckling as the governor stood up, prompting a brief but chaotic scene among attendees.
Speaking after the incident, Adeleke described the large turnout as a show of public confidence in the Accord Party and urged residents to vote on election day, saying that no amount of disruption would diminish the people’s support for his administration.
The collapse comes with the Osun governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, as Adeleke campaigns for re-election on the Accord platform. The incident has renewed questions about structural safety standards at political rallies, where overcrowded temporary stages have repeatedly put lives at risk.
