By Stephen Simon
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has clarified that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not based on any political agreement with the Federal Government, but is partly influenced by the President’s Yoruba background and his development initiatives.
Adeleke made the clarification during a live interview on Sunday Politics, where he discussed his relationship with Tinubu and his political plans ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His comments came after the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, congratulated him on his victory in the Osun governorship election. Keyamo described Adeleke as a man of integrity and honour and stated, “Agreement is agreement.”
Asked directly whether he had reached any agreement with President Tinubu, Adeleke replied, “No, I did not reach an agreement with Mr President.”
The governor explained that his support for Tinubu was influenced by his identity as a fellow Yoruba man as well as the President’s ongoing development projects.
“My support is just based on Mr President being a Yoruba man and his projects. And I believe that all the federal roads that he has started, I want to encourage him not to forget Osun too,” Adeleke said.
He appealed to the President to extend federal infrastructure projects to Osun, particularly road projects linking the state with other parts of the country.
Adeleke said he was willing to give Tinubu more opportunity to pursue his reform agenda, describing the President’s Yoruba identity as one of the factors behind his position.
“I feel like, since a Yoruba man has won for the first time, maybe I will give him another chance to develop his reforms,” he said.
The Osun governor also expressed readiness to work with political allies of Tinubu in the state, provided they are acting in support of the President.
“As long as they say, ‘I’m doing it for Mr President,’ I don’t mind. I will work with them,” he stated.
Despite his support for Tinubu, Adeleke said he currently has no plans to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party under which Tinubu contested the 2023 presidential election.
“As I’m talking to you right now, I’m not even thinking about that. It’s not on my agenda,” Adeleke said when asked about a possible return to the APC.
He stressed that remaining outside the APC would not prevent him from supporting Tinubu or cooperating with those aligned with the President.
On political disputes involving his administration, Adeleke said he was prepared to move beyond the disagreements associated with the 2026 election and pursue dialogue to resolve outstanding matters.
He said the dispute over local government administration was being addressed through political discussions, while other contentious issues were also being resolved.
Regarding legal matters involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Adeleke said he had been directed to drop the issue following an intervention by President Tinubu.
“Mr President has told me. He called me. What more do I want?” he said.
The governor further disclosed that his administration was working on measures to address the detention of some of his supporters, whose release he had previously called for.
