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By Oluwaseyi Adeniyi
When the journey started in 2017, members, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) tongue-lashed Ademola Adeleke. They referred to him as a jester, dancer and block headed enigma, who knows nothing about politics and governance.
They employed all manners of machinery to dent his image and reputation but the man didn’t allow what they were saying to deter him. He kept his eye focused on the trophy; he contested a senatorial rerun, he won. In the 2018 governorship election, he threw his hat into the ring, he won before the power that was in Abuja used ‘remote control’ to rig the election.
In 2022, he rose again to challenge Mr Adegboyega Oyetola who was the incumbent governor at that time. As God would have it, Adeleke defeated him with a landslide victory. When Governor Adeleke defeated Oyetola in the contest, some said it was a miracle, because the margin was much. Beating an incumbent was also counted as a big deal.
What has happened in the last two elections conducted this year have shown that Adeleke knows and understands his onions. A political tsunami is unleashed through the instrumentality of the Adelekes.
In his 100 days in office, Adeleke disappointed his enemies who described him as a clueless and incompetent person. They described him as just a mere dancer who knows nothing about governance. His achievements in 100 days in office left the people flabbergasted, asking questions that “so this man can perform?”. What their ‘encyclopedia of finance’ couldn’t achieve in four (4) years in office, within one hundred days an entrepreneurial “dancer” was able to achieve.
The unprecedented achievements of Governor Adeleke in office vis-a-vis the love of the people towards the party, PDP, aroused the affection, hence people voted massively for PDP candidates in the Presidential and National Assembly elections. All candidates, both for the Senate and House of Representatives won resoundingly.
Nationally and internationally, the public now accepted that Adeleke is indeed the true mandate holder.Those watching from outside began to see that truly Adeleke is loved and was legitimately voted for in the July 16th, 2022 governorship election in the State.
Shortly after the February 25th, 2023 Presidential election in Osun, APC started using propaganda to discredit what Governor Adeleke has done in the last 100 days in office. It was a terrible mistake from the rejected APC to have deployed such a method. In the eyes of the people who truly voted for him, the Governor performed beyond expectations. They can see and feel the impact of the 100 days delivery.
As an investigative journalist myself, what I got made me to believe that Osun APC members had done more damage to themselves by trying to rubbish what Adeleke has done, in terms of infrastructural development and payment of salary arrears owed by their administration among other things. The last minute campaign of the APC deepens Peoples anger against the party and expands the depth of love for the Governor and the PDP.
Osun people felt justified in their decision to back the Governor. The confidence they reposed in the Ede born politician has not been misplaced. It is likely the first time in Nigeria that a people will revalidate their governorship choice through subsequent federal and state elections. After the July 16 governorship election, the people of Osun state likely felt insulted by the APC’s questioning of their choice. By the time the Tribunal delivered the buga, the anger boiled over. The consequences are the massive vote for PDP on February 25th and March 18th.
By all accounts, it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Ademola Adeleke was massively, convincingly and legitimately voted for by the people of Osun. The Buga judgment has been decimated as a political adventure without grounding in the political reality of Osun state.
By the last three elections, Osun is sending a strong signal to all adjudicating authorities in the country that July 16th, 2022 election victory of Governor Adeleke was not a fluke or mirage, it was actually the manifestation of the will of Osun people which they have been able to reaffirm in the last two elections conducted this year, February and March 2023. This is a lesson to all adjudicating authorities that what is before them is just a false flag dictated by a compromised adjudicating official.
I won’t say more than this. We are all Nigerians and people are reading…
By all accounts, Ademola Adeleke is actually the people’s Governor.
● Oluwaseyi Adeniyi is a media aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke