Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid predates his own electoral victory and should not be interpreted as a betrayal of the electorate, according to the governor’s Special Adviser and Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
Speaking during a recent appearance on Arise TV, Rasheed addressed concerns that Adeleke’s public backing of the president immediately after winning the governorship signaled political opportunism. He clarified that the endorsement was first declared while Adeleke was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reiterated after his move to the Accord Party, well before the governorship election that brought him to power.
“The endorsement predates this election victory,” Rasheed said. “When Mr. Governor was within the PDP, the endorsement was announced. When he crossed over to Accord, the endorsement was announced. So the whole political space is aware that Mr. Governor has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Rasheed explained that the governor’s decision was driven by a developmental agenda for Osun State. Adeleke, he said, has consistently cited the need to attract federal presence and accelerate the completion of key federal road projects across the state as primary reasons for supporting the incumbent president.
“He talks about developmental focus,” Rasheed noted. “The need to attract federal presence. The need to get most of the roads in Osun’s federal project done, and the need to support a man that is on the seat that can do this for us.”
The spokesperson pointed to tangible progress on major infrastructure as evidence that the strategy is yielding results. He listed the ongoing reconstruction of the Ilesa-Ibadan Road, the award and commencement of work on the Osogbo-Ibadan Road, and the award of the Gbongan-Osogbo Road as direct outcomes of the governor’s engagement with the federal administration.
“As a consequence of that endorsement, Ilesa-Ibadan Road is being worked on. We have Osogbo-Ibadan Road being awarded, the work has started. We have Gbongan to Osogbo already awarded, and so on,” he said.
Rasheed maintained that Adeleke’s alignment with the presidency is a calculated move to serve the interests of Osun residents, not a transactional political gesture. “The governor is looking at backing the man on the seat for several reasons, and you know this predates our election victory. So, I will say people should not feel betrayed. Mr. Governor is only doing the right thing that is in the best interest of Osun people.”
