By Eric Elezuo

Governor Ademola Jackson Adeleke made no pretense about how ready he was to serve the people of Osun State, when he was sworn-in as the sixth elected Governor of Osun State, on Sunday, November 27, 2022, at the Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, having decisively won the July 16, 2022 governorship election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He defeated the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress.

Before a star studded guest list at the swearing-in ceremony, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, his wife, Titi, Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Governors of Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Bayelsa States, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Ndidi Elumelu, and the State’s Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele-Ojo, who administered the oath of office, the new governor made sweeping changes in the interest of the citizens while promising to revisit all actions of the past administration immediately after the election.

The governor had declared while receiving the report from chairman of the transition committee, Dr Muyiwa Oladimeji, Adeleke that “You have worked tirelessly in the last few months. You have laboured hard to produce a detailed governance blueprint for our dear state. I am at a glance impressed that your committee built on my five-point agenda: workers’ welfare to infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, women, youth, security, information technology, the environment and state economy. We are set to deliver on our electoral promises.”

For a man who had tried severally for the governorship, and who narrowly missed out in 2019, Adeleke’s blueprint has constantly been reviewed year in and year out. He was not taken unawares when they saddle of leadership was cleared for him, therefore in 2022.

“I make a vow to the people of Osun State that none of the ongoing illegalities will stand under my leadership. Through appropriate channels and platforms, normalcy will be enforced within the ministries, agencies and parastatals,” he had stated in a bid to restore hope.

Adeleke, better known as the dancing senator, is not the type with a slack hand as regards administration. He hit the ground immediately, and by the Monday preceding his election, he appointed three hands, generally adjudged as competent, to man the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and Chief Press Secretary positions.

His carefree nature made him a toast among Osun residents, and the reception that was accorded on the day he assumed office as he arrived Abere, was turbocharged. The Labour Unions and Civil Servants including other residents turned out in their thousands to welcome him.

He employed the superman attitude, combined with the Spartan spirit as he kickstarted his administration. This is taking into consideration that the past administration either refused or failed to offer him any form of cooperation. In fact, the past governor did not leave any hand over note. His opponents were sure he was going to fail. They made sure of the that by the traps laid on his paths while he took over the reins of power. But he was prepared for the job, and so scaled every hurdle like an Olympic champion. He treated every distraction with superior administrative prowess.

By the time Adeleke hit 100 days in office, it was obvious to everyone that the governor was no pushover; that he was a man of vision, who has so much on his sleeves to unleashed on the people of Osun. On the day, during a press briefing, he reeled out his unprecedented achievements in the State to the public.

Stating that ”in his quest to dish out dividends of democracy to the people, he became blind to party affiliation”, the governor re-iterated that his administration is poised on delivering good governance by fulfilling his campaign promises and satisfying people-oriented needs. It was also revealed that all abandoned property and projects by previous administration were redefined and completed.

There and then, he listed some of the ongoing and completed projects which included: provision of borehole water in each of the 332 wards across the State; Construction of 20km roads; Presentation of #518m to Communities for infrastructural development; Imole surgical and medical outreach targeted at 2000 persons in each of the nine Federal Constituencies making a total of 18,000 beneficiaries who received free surgeries; and rural electrification projects.

Others accomplishments listed are Payment of salaries and pensions arrears from January 2016 owed by the past administration; Enrollment of 3,332 Osun indigenes on Osun health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) to ensure adequate healthcare access for the vulnerable for 5 years and Construction of broken bridges at Bokusoro/Adeeke area in Iwo to forestall loss of life on the bridge due to erosion.

Adeleke did not leave anybody in doubt as regards his determination to change the State fortune for the better by embarking on key projects across the length and breath of the State. He therefore, urged workers to exercise more patience, assuring them that all outstanding salaries will be paid in due course. And today, he is living his promises.

But the more he wards off distractions, the more they come in their numbers. The greatest of the distractions came in form of the Election Tribunal Panel.

The tribunal, on January 27, 2023, in the majority judgement read by its chairman, Tertsea Kume, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return from Adeleke and issue it to former governor Gboyega Oyetola.

The tribunal also held that the governorship election was characterised by over-voting. It said after deducting the excessive votes, the figure Mr Oyetola polled at the election was 314, 921. The tribunal, thus, ordered that Mr Oyetola should be returned as governor of Osun State.

However, Adeleke sought redress at the Appeal Court, and on March 24, 2023, the judgment of the Tribunal was overturned.

Upholding Mr Adeleke’s victory in March, the Court of Appeal held that the tribunal was wrong in its conclusion that that the election in some parts of the states was marred by over-voting, the pivotal legal issue thrown up in Oyetola’s case.

Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by Adeleke, a three-member panel of justices held that the election tribunal erred when it ruled that the 1st and 2nd respondents (Gboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress) proved their allegation of over-voting.

But Oyetola was bent on going the whole yard, and sought further interpretation from the Supreme Court, which has the final say.

After hearing the addresses of both parties, the Supreme Court reserved judgment for May 9, 2023, just few days to Adeleke’s 63rd birthday.

As expected, a five-member panel of the court led by John Okoro, unanimously upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which had earlier on affirmed Adeleke’s victory.

The Supreme Court’s decision laid to rest the dispute over the outcome of the governorship election, and extinguished Mr Oyetola’s hopes of coming back to office after his momentary victory at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in January.

The Supreme Court agreed with the Court of Appeal that Oyetola and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), failed “to adduce relevant evidence to prove their case.”

Upholding the lower court’s decision, the Supreme Court held that the Court of Appeal “correctly found that the appellants failed to prove their case” against Mr Adeleke and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Court ruled that the “entire proceedings at the tribunal is a nullity. This appeal fails for lack of merit, it is accordingly dismissed.”

And there ends all the distractions of Governor Adeleke as he sits tight to serve Osun to the best of his abilities.

A new dawn has just emerged in the Land of Virtue, formerly known as state of the living spring, Osun State, as one of the prominent sons of the land, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, is being sworn in as the sixth civilian governor of the state, and the 10th leader the state will produce since inception in 1991.

Ademola defeated the incumbent governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola at the July 2022 governorship election to emerge winner.

Born of the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State on May 13, 1960, Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State before he was privileged to relocate to Old Oyo State to continue his education at Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire.

Adeleke was born Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke to a Muslim father and Nnena Esther Adeleke, an Igbo Christian mother. Like him, Adeleke’s father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was a Senator and the Balogun of Ede land in Osun State. His father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was also the leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

On completion of his primary education, he moved on to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede to begin his post primary schooling. In the later years however, he attended Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he finished his secondary school education and subsequently relocated to the United States of America, joining his two older brothers, who were also studying there.

In the United States, he joined Jacksonville State University, Alabama, and studied Criminal Justice, with minor in Political Science.

To prove doubting Thomases, who wiped up controversies around his educational qualification wrong, he went back to school and got enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2021.

A businessman and administrator of no mean repute, Adeleke was the humble Group Executive Director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016, where his credible performances shot the company to enviable heights; a height it is still enjoying till date. P

It is imperative to note that before he joined Pacific Holdings Limited, Senator Adeleke worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor from 1985 to 1989. His dexterity to work earned him a progression in career, and he berthed as Vice President at Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company. His meritorious stewardship lasted a period of five years, from 1990 to 1994.

Not a few has described Adeleke as the philanthropic capital of Ede, as his influence in aiding the less privileged and downtrodden remains top notch. He is a voracious believer in community development, and has not spared any expense to see that his community receives global influence.

Politically, Adeleke is a beacon of light and hard but to crack, having remained an albatross to opposing powers and a reference point to ideal administration.

Shortly after he lost his brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017, he contested the Osun West 2017 Senatorial by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the Peoples Democratic Party, where he decamped to from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Having emerged senator, Adeleke’s political influence waxed stronger, an on July 23, 2018, he emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes. Efforts made to deprive him of the mandate was twated by the courts.

Adeleke’s lawyer in his defense claims his secondary school hasn’t come out to deny his testimonial asking the court to dismiss the Case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery.

Adeleke ran for Osun state governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) while Adeleke was leading, and a rerun slated on September 27, 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a “coup”.

Much as on March 22, 2019, the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election, the Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, July 5, 2019

Popularly known as the Dancing Senator because of his penchant to joyfully react to the sounds of music, Adeleke is uncle to one of Nigeria’s popular musicians, Davido.

Senator Adeleke is married to Mrs. Titilola Adeleke, a successful businesswoman and a self-made boss. They are blessed with three children who are all entertainers. They are B-Red and Shina Rambo and a daughter, Nike Adeleke.

Adeleke is already taking Osun State to the greatest of heights as he has promised, and many who knows him agree that he won’t fail.

Only yesterday, he was honored as a distinguished governor at the Champion Newspaper Awards.

Congratulations, the Governor of Osun State!