Adeleke Reaffirms Endorsement of Tinubu for 2027, Calls Him Osun Son

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has reaffirmed his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, describing the President as a son of Osun State.

Adeleke made the declaration on Sunday during a press conference shortly after he was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The governor commended Tinubu for what he described as his support for a peaceful, free and fair electoral process in Osun State.

Adeleke said Tinubu’s intervention and commitment to democratic principles contributed to the conduct of the election, while expressing appreciation for the President’s congratulatory message following his victory.

“At this point, I must deeply appreciate Mr. President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election,” Adeleke said.

He added, “Mr. President is a son of Osun State, and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.”

Adeleke had previously endorsed Tinubu for the 2027 election despite his political history with the Peoples Democratic Party. He later defected to the Accord Party to contest the 2026 Osun governorship election.

The governor was declared winner at about 7:24am on Sunday by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who scored 444,815 votes.

The governor won 19 of Osun’s 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress finished third with 17,180 votes.

The result secured Adeleke a second term after he was first elected governor in 2022 on the PDP platform.

Speaking after his victory, Adeleke also urged Oyebamiji to congratulate him, saying the election should be viewed as a contest without permanent enemies.

“Yes. This is no victor, no vanquished. I want them to come over. I am expecting Oyebamiji to even, as a civilised person, to call me and congratulate me,” he said.

Adeleke also thanked Tinubu for personally calling to congratulate him, saying the President’s gesture demonstrated his commitment to democratic governance.