Dancing’ Senator Ademola Adeleke of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has once again picked up his ambition of governing Osun State after his initial attempt failed in 2018.
He contested against incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in a tight and tension soaked race in 2018. Being in an off-season electoral circle, the state is once again preparing for another governorship election and interestingly, Adeleke and Oyetola are major contenders under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively.
Undoubtedly, Ademola Adeleke who only became a politician by accident some five years ago after his brother and political patriarch of the Adeleke Family in Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke died put up a good show that unsettled the then outgoing administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who had to invite political heavyweights to help solve the riddle of not losing the state he meticulously laboured on for eight years to a ‘jester’. That explains why the APC courted the man who now holds sway as the party’s General Secretary, Iyiola Omisore whose bloc votes in Ile Ife as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate helped broke Adeleke’s weighty back.
However, four years has passed and the electoral atmosphere in Osun has changed. Oyetola is now a force in the state. His performance has endeared him into the hearts of many and that explains why he survived the tsunami that nearly upturned the state during the buildup to the APC governorship primary in the state. He not only won, but won overwhelmingly despite the force put up by the immediate past governor and now Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Aregbesola to install another aspirant on account that Oyetola did not carry him along with governance in the state. Therefore the PDP will be shooting itself in the leg if it hopes that it can ‘cash out’ on the political uncertainty that obtained pre-2018 within the ruling party in the state that allowed Ademola Adeleke easy access to almost becoming a governor.
*Petitions to disqualify Ademola Adeleke*
Aside the initial ‘spoiler game’ played by another of the Adeleke sons, Bamidele to contest the PDP governorship ticket which almost torn the family apart with super star David ‘Davido’ Adeleke taking sides with his uncle, Ademola, there has been intense calls for the party (PDP) not to field Ademola.
In a letter dated January 27, 2022, those against the flag bearer forwarded a petition to the national chairman, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, alerting him to certain dangers ahead. They anticipated litigation, unless certain issues about eligibility of the flagbearer are resolved.
A group, ‘Concerned Members of PDP in Osun State,’ had appealed against the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC), which gave Adeleke the nod to stand as candidate, following the reports of the screening and appeal committees.
Other aspirants were Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, Prince Dotun Babayemi, Mr. Dele Adeleke and Sanya Omirin. Two of them have defected and emerged as governorship candidates of smaller parties.
Earlier on January 10, 2022, the group, led by Akinloye Adeyi, had written a petition to the Osun State Gubernatorial Screening Committee.
Other aspirants were Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, Prince Dotun Babayemi, Mr. Dele Adeleke and Sanya Omirin. Two of them have defected and emerged as governorship candidates of smaller parties.
