Adeleke praises Tinubu over ‘free and fair’ Osun election, renews support for 2027
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as the conduct of a free and fair governorship election in the state, while reaffirming his support for the President’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Adeleke spoke on Sunday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the August 15 governorship election, giving him another four-year mandate.
The governor revealed that President Tinubu personally called to congratulate him following his victory, describing the gesture as a demonstration of the President’s commitment to democracy.
Speaking after his declaration, Adeleke expressed gratitude for the outcome and described his victory as a triumph for democracy and the people of Osun.
“I feel great. First of all, I thank the Almighty God for what has happened today. It’s a victory for democracy in Nigeria,” Adeleke said.
He also thanked Tinubu for congratulating him and praised the President for allowing democracy to thrive.
Adeleke subsequently renewed his earlier endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
“I must deeply appreciate the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for a free and fair election. I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election,” he said.
Despite political differences
Adeleke’s comments are notable because he contested the Osun election under the platform of the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Tinubu remains the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Despite their different political affiliations, the two politicians have maintained a relatively cordial relationship, with Adeleke making visits to the Presidential Villa and Tinubu maintaining communication with the Osun governor.
Tinubu’s congratulatory call came after a closely contested election in which the APC deployed significant political resources in an attempt to defeat Adeleke.
Several APC governors and senior party figures campaigned for the party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, as the party sought to regain control of Osun State.
However, Adeleke described his victory as an endorsement by the people of the state of his administration’s performance.
He attributed the result to what he described as the people’s appreciation of his achievements in infrastructure, education and agriculture.
“A victory for democracy. A victory for Osun people that stood by me and said, ‘Imole, you have done a lot for us. You have given us the dividends of democracy in terms of infrastructure, improving our education, agriculture and so forth.’”
He added that the result represented the people’s way of saying, “Thank you, Mr Governor.”
Adeleke defeats Oyebamiji
INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner at the commission’s collation centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji of the APC, who recorded 444,815 votes.
Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11.
The victory gives Adeleke a second consecutive four-year term after he was first elected governor in 2022 on the PDP platform.
His re-election followed months of intense campaigning, political rivalry and heightened security concerns, with 15 candidates participating in the contest.
Beyond securing another term in Osun, Adeleke’s renewed endorsement of Tinubu could have wider political implications as parties and politicians begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
