Eyes on Ademola Adeleke, Osun’s governor-elect

By Blessing Akorowosi

 

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke was, on Sunday morning declared as the winner of the Osun State 2022 governorship election.

 

This was followed by jubilation of residents who had for long clamoured for a new government.

 

While it amazed some citizens who considered the governor-elect as only a dancer or entertainer, another sect said he is up to the task.

 

Ademola Adeleke who has an estimated net worth of $50 million is a renowned Nigerian politician and businessman, he is One person that has been credited with lowering the level of anxiety people have when it comes to politics. Senator Ademola Adeleke, who represented the Osun-West senatorial seat until June 2019, has gained the nickname “dancing senator” for his frequent and spontaneous dancing in public after significant triumphs or just for comedy.

 

Digging into his background, the governor-elect was born in 1960 into the family of Raji Ayoola Adeleke and Nnena Esther Adeleke.

 

He hails from Ede in Osun State. He attended Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire and had his secondary School education at The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School and Ede Muslim Grammar School, both in Ede. He thereafter relocated to the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice obtained in 2021.

 

Ademola Adeleke is an affable man and is fondly called the Dancing Senator, following his dramatic victory dance when he was declared the winner of the Osun West Senatorial District by-election.

His parents were Esther Adeleke (mother), an ardent Igbo Christian, and Late Chief Ayoola Adeleke (father), a Muslim. His brothers are Adedeji Adeleke, Davido‘s father and the late Isiaka Adeleke.

So he  is an uncle to popular pop artiste, Davido and the father of another popular singer B-red.

It seems as though politics is in the Adelekes’ blood since his late father, Ayoola Adeleke, was a politician, a senator in the second republic, and the founder of the now-defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

In addition, Ademola Adeleke‘s father served as the Balogun of Ede Land in Osun State when he was alive. He represented Nigeria’s Osun-west senatorial constituency till June 2019. The Ede Local Government Area is the ancestral home of his family.

His hobbies include dancing and singing; he even claims to have taught his son and his nephew, Davido, how to sing.

Senator Adeleke, holds the traditional title of Otunba of Oke-Ila Orangun.

Until the death of his elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, the head of Adeleke’s empire, who died on April 23, 2017, Ademola was relatively unknown in politics before then.

Osun West Senatorial District and other party powerful men agreed to return the ticket to Adeleke’s empire, as such; Demola stepped in to fill Isiaka’s vacancy in the Senate since it is required to do so by the constitution.

It was a shock win in the by-election for Adeleke. Nine of the ten local governments in the senatorial district elected him, and he received 97,280 votes in total. He dedicated his victory to his late brother.

On September 22, 2018, Adeleke ran for governorship of Osun State as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against APC’s Gboyega Oyetola and Iyiola Omisore, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ruled the election inconclusive and scheduled a rerun for September 27, 2018. Oyetola, a candidate for the APC, won the run-off election.

Adeleke called the election a “coup” and opposed the outcome. On March 22, 2019, a Tribunal proclaimed Adeleke, winner of the election.

 

Ademola Adeleke, having declared winner of the 2022 Osun gubernatorial election with 403,371 votes, is expected to grow the economy of the state as promised during his campaign.

 

The governor-elect is a businessman and an administrator. He is also perceived to be a philanthropist and popularly referred to as ‘imole’.

 

Adeleke has served as the executive director of Pacific Holdings Limited’s from 2001 to 2016; and later as a service contractor for Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States.

 

He was also vice president of Origin International LLC, a flavour and fragrance manufacturing company in Atlanta, Georgia, US from 1990 to 1994.

 

The expectations of the people have risen since INEC declared him as the winner. His deputy, Kola Adewusi is expected to assist him in transforming Osun’s economy and bringing smiles to the faces of the people especially the retirees, workers and traders in the state.