Re-elected Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has denied reaching any agreement with President Bola Tinubu in exchange for his support for the President’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Adeleke said his decision to back Tinubu was based on regional solidarity, noting that the President is a Yoruba man from the South-West.
The governor made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Despite belonging to rival political parties, Tinubu and Adeleke have maintained a cordial relationship, with the Osun governor making high-profile visits to the President and Tinubu engaging with him.
Following his re-election, Adeleke publicly reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid. The declaration, however, attracted criticism from some netizens who questioned the political alignment between the two leaders.
Asked whether his support was based on a political or personal agreement, particularly after Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said, “Agreement is agreement,” Adeleke rejected the suggestion.
“No, I never reached agreement with Mr President. My support is just based on, he’s a Yoruba man, and he’s from the South-West, and I believe that all the federal roads that he has started, I want to encourage him not to forget the South-West too because all our federal roads lead to other regions,” Adeleke said.
“And I feel like, well, since a Yoruba man has won the first term, maybe we should give him another chance to develop his reforms.”
Adeleke Promises Full Support
Asked whether he would support Tinubu “all out” in the 2027 presidential election, Adeleke responded, “Big time, I will.”
The governor also said he was prepared to work with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including his defeated governorship rival, Bola Oyebamiji, and former Osun governor Gboyega Oyetola, to support Tinubu.
“Well, as long as it’s … I’m doing it for Mr. President. So I wouldn’t mind; I will work with them,” he said.
Adeleke added that he would support Tinubu in whatever capacity the President required once the 2027 campaign begins.
“Whenever Mr President, when it’s time for him to campaign and all that, whatever how he wants me to come in, I will do it,” he said.
Keyamo Welcomes Adeleke’s Endorsement
Adeleke’s comments came after Keyamo publicly welcomed the governor’s endorsement of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
In a post on X, Keyamo thanked Adeleke and described him as “a man of integrity and honour”.
“Thank you, Governor Ademola Adeleke, for the public and unequivocal endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 Presidential Election,” Keyamo wrote.
“You are a man of integrity and honour. ‘Agreement is agreement.’”
Adeleke Secures Second Term
Adeleke won Saturday’s Osun governorship election with 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in the remaining 11.
The result secured Adeleke another four-year term and has now placed his 2027 support for Tinubu at the centre of renewed political attention.
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