Senator Ademola Adeleke, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Saturday won the 2022 governorship election in Osun State. Though the election has come and gone, Nigerians will not forget it in a hurry due to several intrigues that characterised the build-up to it, THE WITNESS writes.
Adeleke, popularly known for his dancing skills which earned him the nickname ‘The Dancing Senator’, won in 17 local government areas while the incumbent, Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in the remaining 13 LGAs.
The senator, who represented the Osun West Senatorial District between 2017 and 2019, polled a total of 403,371 to win the election while the incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola polled 375,027 votes to come second.
After losing in 2018, Adeleke had dusted himself up and given it another shot. He could have allowed the bitter experience confine him to the back seat of politics but no, he took that same route again. One of the things that was used against him at that time was alleged certificate forgery. He was accused of not having the requisite educational capacity to govern. And for Adeleke, four years is such a long time in a man’s life.
He had his eyes on the governorship seat and before the next election, he enrolled in an American university where he studied criminology.
Asked to comment on this feat in a debate organised for governorship candidates, he said, “It wasn’t as if I didn’t go to school before. I did. Where I studied in America, their education is flexible. I like business. I would study for some time and stop for a while to do business so that I can make money. You can then return to school to continue your study when you like. We will engage the authorities so that we can change our educational system.
“When they were shouting that I wasn’t educated, I said if that is the case and because I love my people in Osun, I have to be determined. I went back to study. I am happy to tell Osun people that today, even with my age at 60, I am a criminologist so that I can use my security expertise for our state.”
The Dollar for Dollar Boasts …
In May 2022, during one of Adeleke’s campaign meetings in the state, the governor-elect was filmed telling a crowd that he had come with lots of money to give to voters, that he had arrived with money for them.
“If it’s about money, I have come with money,” Senator Adeleke said in Yoruba, patting his pocket.
He told them he wasn’t there with only naira but also with dollars, pounds and euros.
“My fellow Osun residents, you are the one to decide. It is not by force, not by gimmicks, if it is money, I have brought money and not only naira but dollars, pounds and euros. This time around, it is fire for fire for Osun governorship election,” he added as his audience hailed him.
The utterance was greeted with condemnation and commendation by supporters of the ruling and opposition party in the state on social media.
About Adeleke
Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke is a Nigerian politician. He is from the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State.
Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State then relocated to old Oyo State and attended Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire. He progressed to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede also in the then old Oyo State and later moved to Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he finished his secondary school education before relocating to the United States. He left Nigeria to continue his studies joining his two other elder brothers in the United States of America.
He started higher studies at Jacksonville State University, Alabama in the United States where he majored in criminal justice and with minor in political science. After much controversies surrounding his educational qualification, 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.
Private sector
Adeleke is a businessman and administrator; he was the group executive director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016. Prior to joining Pacific Holdings Limited, Ademola had worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor in 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company as vice president from 1990 to 1994.
Politics
Adeleke is a community member and philanthropist. Adeleke started his political career in 2001 alongside his late brother Senator Isiaka Adeleke who died in April 2017. He contested in the Osun West 2017 by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the People’s Democratic Party.
On 23rd July 2018, Adeleke emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes.
Adeleke was accused and charged to the Osogbo high court for forging his secondary school testimonial and WAEC result to cancel his governorship candidacy. The testimonial Adeleke submitted to INEC dated 20th July 1988, had Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State on its letterhead. As at that year Osun State was not in existence. Also the SSCE results indicated in the testimonial showes that the mode of examination did not exist in the year 1981. Another testimonial with the heading Ede Muslim High school dated 2018, indicated that the principal who signed the 1988 testimonial also signed the 2018 testimonial. This led to the arrest of the principal. Adeleke’s lawyer in his defense claimed his secondary school had not come out to deny his testimonial and asked the court to dismiss the case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery. Witnesses told court that they did not see Adeleke in the examination hall. One of the witnesses said he would have recognised him since he is a public figure.
Adeleke ran for Osun State governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22nd September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and a rerun slated for 27th September 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a “coup”.
On 22nd March 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.
Ademola Adeleke is father of two Nigerian musicians. He was nicknamed “Dancing senator” because of his dancing skills.