Music and politics took centre stage at Oke-Fia in Osogbo on Thursday as Governor Ademola Adeleke danced to Davido’s hit song Feel during the commissioning of the flyover.
Davido arrived late at the event and made his way through the security cordon alongside the governor’s son, Shina Rambo. When the singer eventually got to the stage, he embraced Adeleke before the two danced together to cheers from the crowd.
The scene captured a key feature of Adeleke’s campaign style: a strong emphasis on his popular and approachable image, with music and youth engagement playing a central role.
Davido’s involvement has also added a major youth-focused element to the campaign. With the singer playing a role in youth mobilisation, the Accord Party has been encouraging young voters to register and turn out for next Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Osun State.
But beyond the music and campaign spectacle, the election presents a major political test for Adeleke.
Fourteen candidates are contesting the election, although the race is largely viewed as a contest involving Adeleke of the Accord Party, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
For Adeleke, the election will serve as a referendum of sorts on his first term in office. It will also determine whether his personal popularity can survive his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and contest under a different political platform.
For Accord, the election offers an opportunity to establish itself as a serious political force rather than merely the new platform for a sitting governor.
The APC, meanwhile, sees the contest as an opportunity to reclaim Osun and strengthen its position ahead of the 2027 general election. For the ADC and its leading figure, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the election could provide an important indication of whether the political structures built during his time in government still retain significant influence.
The 2022 election results highlight the challenge facing Adeleke.
Running on the PDP platform, Adeleke defeated the then incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, with 403,371 votes against Oyetola’s 375,027, giving him a margin of 28,344 votes.
His victory was attributed to several factors, including the PDP’s established grassroots structures, the influence of his family in Osun politics, voter dissatisfaction with the APC administration and divisions within the progressive camp.
The Accord Party, however, played virtually no role in that contest, securing only 4,515 votes.
Adeleke subsequently left the PDP in November 2025 and joined Accord, creating a new political challenge: whether the support he enjoyed under the PDP can be transferred to his new party.
That question has become one of the central issues in the ongoing campaign.
Can Adeleke’s popularity as governor and his strong personal appeal compensate for the weaker political structure of his new party? And can his record in office persuade voters to give him another mandate?
Waheed Saka, a human rights activist based in Osun, said Adeleke’s campaign had relied heavily on what he described as “charismatic, populist gestures,” alongside efforts to maintain strong relationships with workers, women and young people.
Despite the governor’s political vulnerabilities, Saka said the race remained too close to call.
He also pointed to the ADC as a potential factor that could significantly reshape the contest, arguing that its presence could draw votes from both of the leading political camps.
With the election approaching, Adeleke’s dancing may continue to draw crowds, but the real test will come at the ballot box, where his popularity, record in office, political machinery and ability to retain his previous supporters will all face their biggest test yet.
