Adeleke Sends Message to Tinubu After Winning Second Term in Osun Election

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu after securing a second term in office in the state governorship election.

Adeleke, who was declared the winner of the Saturday governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, said Tinubu had personally called to congratulate him on the victory.

The governor used the opportunity to thank the President for what he described as his contribution to the survival of democracy in Nigeria.

Speaking shortly after the declaration of the result, Adeleke said the election had produced a victory for the people of Osun State and for democratic values.

“I want to seize this opportunity to thank Mr President. Mr President has called me and he has congratulated me, thank you Mr President for making sure democracy lives on because you fought for it,” he said.

Although Adeleke contested the Osun election on the platform of the Accord Party, he had openly backed Tinubu’s bid for a second term as President ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The governor had repeatedly maintained that his support for Tinubu was based on what he described as the interest of Osun State and the wider South-West.

Politics Nigeria recalls that Adeleke and the national leadership of the Accord Party on July, formally adopted President Bola Tinubu as their preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The decision was reached during a meeting between the governor and senior leaders of the party in Osogbo.

According to a statement issued by Pelumi Olajengbesi, Adeleke’s re-election campaign spokesperson, the meeting considered the political direction of the Accord Party and issues surrounding the development of the country.

The party’s decision was also tied to the need for continuity in several infrastructure projects being executed by the Federal Government.

Among the projects mentioned were the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway.

The party leadership said completing such projects would be important to the country’s economic development.

Adeleke had earlier endorsed Tinubu on May 25, 2026, describing the decision as “a moral and development driven action in the best interest of Osun and Yoruba people at large”.

He made the declaration while inspecting the reconstruction of the Ibadan-Ile Ife-Ilesa Expressway.

During the occasion, the governor described Tinubu as “our own son, father and leader”.

“I am the governor of the ancestral birthplace of Mr. President. How can I have my own in the saddle and think twice before embracing him? I need no persuasion to act as I have declared repeatedly, our endorsement of Mr President,” Adeleke said.

He also pointed to federal road projects in and around Osun as part of the reasons for his position.

Adeleke had expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Ibadan-Ile Ife-Ilesa road reconstruction and said the project would improve access between major parts of the South-West.

The governor also called attention to other federal roads approved for reconstruction, including the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo route and the Gbongan-Akoda road.

His support for Tinubu was later repeated during the launch of his re-election campaign in June.

At the campaign event in Osogbo, Adeleke told supporters that his position on Tinubu had not changed.

“As we seek your votes on August 15, we also restate our endorsement of our son, father and leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for re-election in 2027. Our support for Mr President is unshaken and total.”

The endorsement created an unusual political situation in Osun, with Adeleke seeking re-election on the Accord platform while supporting the President of the APC ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The governor also made it clear that his disagreement with some APC figures in Osun should not be interpreted as opposition to Tinubu.

In March 2026, Adeleke said his political dispute was not with the President.

“We have no problem with President Tinubu. He is our leader. He represents the South West. I restate our endorsement of Mr President for re-election in the best interest of the South West,” he said.