Why Deji Adeleke Ticks All the Boxes for Osun State Governor-elect Ademola Adeleke

HighLife

It is a new day and age for the people of Osun State, thanks to the recent gubernatorial election that saw the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the governor-elect. With so many people raising their fists in celebration of the man, many wonder what the big deal is about Adeleke’s victory.

For one, this is not the first time that Adeleke threw his hat into the Osun gubernatorial ring. In 2018, Ademola joined the gubernatorial race under the auspices of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Even though the party had fallen out of favour in most of the states in Nigeria at that time, Senator Adeleke managed to win. At least, a tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election, even though this was later overturned and Gboyega Oyetola was instead declared the winner.

One of the biggest obstacles against Adeleke back then was the certificate scandal, a case that tried to discredit his candidacy by stating that his secondary school certificate and WAEC results were forged. But Adeleke trampled every opposition, going so far as to earn himself a college degree abroad just to prove that he could.

So in the recent gubernatorial election in Osun, there were a lot of expectations regarding whether or not he would win. Even though he had the heart and approval of the people, there were still doubts whether the man dubbed the Dancing Senator would prevail against the incumbent Governor Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC). But he did. And he did it brilliantly by polling 403,979 votes, over 27,000 more votes than Oyetola.

That is his story of victory over every opposition and temptation of corruption. Adeleke did not rely on the prestige of his family or his wealth. Yet, he won fair and square, still wearing his happy, innocent smile. Even though his elder brother, the wealthy Adedeji Adeleke, the father of singer Davido, assisted here and there, the victory still belongs to Dancing Senator. That is why the people love him and why his victory continues to resound in the state and outside.