The spokesperson for the Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has dismissed speculation that the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress following his post-election visit to President Bola Tinubu.
Olajengbesi said Adeleke’s visit to the President was a courtesy call and a demonstration of respect for the office of the President, stressing that the governor remained a member of his political party. He spoke while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday.
According to him, the visit was also aimed at appreciating Tinubu for allowing a level playing field during the recent Osun State governorship election, which he said enabled the people to freely express their choice.
“The visit of Governor Ademola Adeleke to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the proper thing to do. It is the norm; it is the standard.
“We all agree that Nigeria is a federation. We have three tiers of government — the Federal Government, the state government and, of course, the local government.
“Osun State is a sub-nation now under the Nigerian government, and we don’t intend to take Osun State out of Nigeria. So we understand, and I think the governor deemed it necessary to pay a courtesy call to Mr President as a sign of respect to the office of the President,” he said.
Olajengbesi said the governor used the opportunity to commend Tinubu for allowing democratic institutions to function independently during the election.
He added that Adeleke also appealed to the President to support efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and prevent their manipulation by politicians.
“The visit of Mr Governor to Mr President is not taking the people of Osun State for granted, but the intention is to amplify the aspiration of the people of Osun State,” he said.
The campaign spokesman said Adeleke’s victory reflected the wishes of the people of the state, describing the election as tense.
He said the governor also used the meeting with Tinubu to advocate healing and unity in Osun State after the election.
“Mr President has said to Mr Governor that this is the best time for us to unite our people in Osun State. And he’s in line with the speech and the position of Mr Governor, that it is time to heal the wound of the people of Osun State,” Olajegbesi added.
He, however, categorically ruled out any possibility of Adeleke defecting to the APC.
“The essence of that visit has nothing to do with Governor Ademola Adeleke joining APC. It’s an impossibility. Governor Ademola Adeleke is not joining APC.
“But I can assure you that Governor Ademola Adeleke will work with the Federal Government to ensure that there’s progress in Nigeria and, of course, in Osun State,” he said.
On reports that the African Democratic Congress worked with the incumbent governor, he said the governor’s campaign did not seek support from the party.
He said the ADC, despite deploying prominent politicians to the state during the election, did not influence the outcome.
“ADC did not reach out to us. We are not interested in collaborating with any political party,” he said.
Olajengbesi maintained that Adeleke’s victory was primarily a result of the support of Osun voters, rather than backing from any other political party.
According to him, the governor’s record in infrastructure, welfare and other areas contributed significantly to his re-election.
“The election is about the people coming out en masse to support a governor who has diligently worked for them.
“If you look at the records of Governor Ademola Adeleke, you look at infrastructural development, you look at his intervention in terms of welfare and the needs of people. We have never had a governor before who has prioritised the welfare of the people, who has been so selfless like Governor Ademola Adeleke,” he said.
Rumours of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s possible defection to the All Progressives Congress emerged following his separate visits to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in Abuja on Thursday.
