Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has said there was no agreement between him and the Presidency to secure his re-election in exchange for supporting President Bola Tinubu, insisting that his endorsement of the President was based on what he considers to be in the best interest of the state.
Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, disclosed this on Monday during an interview with ARISE NEWS, saying the governor’s endorsement of President Tinubu predated the Osun governorship election and was not part of any political arrangement with the Presidency.
Rasheed, who appeared on behalf of the governor after Adeleke reportedly lost his voice following two days of praise and worship and a night vigil, said the governor would personally speak on his plans for the state after recovering.
“I should apologise on behalf of Mr Governor. He was supposed to be here, like you said, but for the past two days, we’ve been having a praise and worship and a night vigil to thank God for His blessing and grace on the Governor and the state.
“What we now have is that he lost his voice, and the doctor also advised that he should have bed rest. But he will definitely come back. He will come and speak himself.”
On the mood within the Adeleke camp following the governor’s re-election, Rasheed said the camp was “very excited across board” and grateful to God for the victory.
“That’s why the government has dedicated the victory to God and to the people of Osun State,” he said.
Rasheed said Adeleke had extended an invitation to members of the opposition, stressing that the governor regarded the election as a victory for democracy rather than a defeat for his political opponents.
“The Governor has been passing a particular message that there’s no winner, no vanquished, that we are all winners in this election, including Mr Bola Oyebamiji, including Mr Oyetola and Wale Oke. We are all winners because this is about democracy.
“The Governor said now that he’s re-elected, he’s a Governor of APC, ADC, Accord and everybody. The Governor has raised a no-leave branch; he has reached out to leaders of the opposition and called on them to join hands with him to take Osun to greater heights.”
Responding to the possibility of an election petition at the tribunal, Rasheed said the administration expected the collective interest of the people of Osun to prevail.
“When something like this happens, you expect people to be agitated on the other camp, but overall, we are thinking the general interest, the collective interest of Osun people will prevail.
“People will know that it is time to let the past be past, let bygones be bygones. The contest has come and gone. It was tough; it took lives, people were injured, things were destroyed. But now the election has been concluded, a winner has emerged, the people have spoken.
“Ordinarily, we expect the opposition, the APC and all other groups to accept the olive branch of Mr Governor, to join hands with Mr Governor to take Osun to greater heights.”
Rasheed also defended Adeleke’s decision to support Tinubu, amid concerns among some of the governor’s supporters that the endorsement amounted to a betrayal of those who backed him against the APC during the election.
He said Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu was announced before the election and had nothing to do with the governor’s victory.
“Let me give you a background. When Mr Governor was within the PDP, the endorsement was announced. When he crossed over to Accord, the endorsement was announced. So, the endorsement predates this election victory.
“So, the whole world, the political space, is aware that Mr Governor has endorsed President Bola Tinubu. And the Governor explained the reasons why he’s endorsing. He talked about developmental focus; they need to attract federal presence, they need to get most of the federal roads in Osun, our federal projects done, and they need to support a man that is on the seat that can do this for us.”
Rasheed cited ongoing and awarded federal road projects in Osun as evidence of the governor’s desire to work with the Federal Government.
“As a consequence of that endorsement, Osun now has Ile-Ife-Ibadan being worked on, we have Osogbo-Ibadan being awarded, its work has already started, we have Ibadan to Osogbo already awarded. So, the Governor is looking at backing the man on the seat for several reasons.
“And you know this predates our election victory. So, I would say people should not feel betrayed. Mr Governor is only doing the right thing that is in the best interest of Osun people.”
Rasheed, however, firmly rejected suggestions that Adeleke and the Presidency had reached an agreement under which the governor would receive support to win Osun in return for backing Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“No, there is no agreement between him and the Presidency as to do this or do this. No, there was nothing like that. The Governor has said it,” he said.
He maintained that Adeleke’s endorsement was based on several reasons, with development being only one of them.
“When I was referring to why Mr Governor endorsed President Tinubu, I explained that Mr Governor has listed several reasons, more than five reasons, why he is backing Mr President. Issue of developmental focus is just one of it.”
Addressing claims about alleged federal influence during the election, Rasheed said the election was heavily contested and that Adeleke’s victory reflected the will of voters across the state.
“You yourself will agree with me that pre-election and even during election, you felt the federal presence. We had almost 20-something governors here, we had one commissioner of police per local government, we had deployment of the military. Osun was largely militarised.
“So, what happened during the election? People came out and voted, and they voted for the governor. So, there is no agreement.
“The victory was hard-won. The Governor worked for it, Osun people battled for it, and eventually, what you have is the will of the people prevailing.”
Rasheed said Adeleke’s performance across several local government areas demonstrated the breadth of his support.
“The Governor won in several local governments that we have never won before. He won in Iwo, he won in Ila, he won almost everywhere. Now, that’s to show that Osun people stood up for their right to vote and be voted for. So, it’s not about agreement.”
Reiterating that Adeleke’s support for Tinubu predated the election, Rasheed said the governor had maintained his position even before leaving the PDP.
“But as to endorsement, let me repeat it. The endorsement predates the election; it even predates Accord. The Governor was in PDP, he had been saying that he’s backing President Bola Tinubu, and he gave five reasons there: development, my kinsman, ancestral home, and the need to back the reform that is ongoing, no matter how painful, eventually hoping it will yield positive results.
“So, there is no agreement. I’m repeating what Mr Governor said. There is no agreement, but the endorsement remains.”
Rasheed’s appearance on ARISE NEWS came after Adeleke was unable to participate in the scheduled interview because of his health condition.
The spokesperson said the governor would return to speak directly about his administration’s plans and priorities for the people of Osun State.
“Yes, his plans for the Osun State people. You know, prayer and works together,” Rasheed said.
Boluwatife Enome
Follow us on:
