Osun 2026: Why Is Wole Oke Fighting A Failed Proxy War? (1) By Kalejaiye Ajala

Governor Ademola Adeleke is an exceptional man, and this is partly because of how he confounds traducers. This was something I immediately noticed when I read a piece titled “Oluwole Oke: 2026 Guber and Disentangling the Political Turmoil In Osun” by one Josiah Ige, cleverly couched to sell a wrong narrative about Governor Adeleke and the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

I burst into a wild laughter after reading the piece because it showed that those opposed to Governor Adeleke, who most certainly commissioned the write up, learnt nothing from the past as they struggle to persuade themselves of the watery projection of division in the Osun PDP and poor performance against the Governor.

Why is Wole Oke using proxy to challenge a surely very popular leader? If he is man enough, let him come out and challenge Mr Governor. He cannot do that because he knows that will be his final political waterloo. If he is attacking to secure and blackmail for another return ticket to the House, he is playing a failed game. His people and the party will decide his fate, not blackmail.

The atmosphere in the Osun PDP, when Governor Adeleke joined party stalwarts at the last stakeholders’ meeting in Osogbo, punctured the insinuation of a divided support for the governorship ticket as propounded by Josiah Ige. The party unanimously endorsed the Governor for a second term. Also, two out of the four founding fathers of the party in Osun embraced Governor Adeleke at the meeting while the remaining two who were unavoidably absent communicated reasons in writing to the party leadership.

Sure, people do have aspirations. And I don’t see the basis for the unnecessarily sensation that the writer tried to stir with the purported questionable aspiration. The mistake of the writer and his boss is a false sense of grandeur for a lawmaker known for his waywardness and unreliability with the people and the party.

In the build up to the 2022 governorship election, there was something beyond rumours, which Josiah Ige, is trying to make an issue about contesting the PDP ticket with Governor Adeleke, as Oke announced his aspiration for the party’s ticket then. In the end, it was known to be a decoy to bargain for house tickets. Same blackmail strategy cannot work this time around.

Eric Arthur Blair, popularly known as George Orwell, drew our consciousness to the feature of a political language. The renowned English author and journalist notes that “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” And to be kind to Orwell, he got it right, especially when you consider Josiah Oke’s proxy assessment of Governor Adeleke’s performance in office.

Whenever I hear or read about anything that questions the performance of the Governor, I realize the potency of the disease that blinds people to reality. Because nothing can explain the open denial of what is clearly visible to all, and acknowledged by many who have seen the positive impacts of the Adeleke administration within a short period.

Contrary to Josiah Ige or Wole Oke’s assessment, Governor Adeleke has been remarkable in turning the hopeless situation he inherited to a scenario that offers hope for the future. A typical instance is the payment of the owed half salary by the previous administration and implementing the financial implication of promotion given to civil servants by Gboyega Oyetola, former governor in the state, in 2019. Until Governor Adeleke came to office, workers have lost hope of getting financial benefits of promotion given to them just as they did with the owed half salary.

Within a year, Governor Adeleke paid four months out of the 30 months half salary owed by the previous administration. This was something his predecessor declared as impossible and demonstrated this by not attempting just one month throughout his 48 months in office. Less than 18 months in office, Governor Adeleke has expended more than N25 billion on the payment of gratuities and pension arrears. In yet an unprecedented event, the Governor enrolled the entire retirees in the state on a comprehensive healthcare plan, relieving them of the burden of managing their health at old age. Governor Adeleke is the first Governor in the whole of Nigeria to implement something like this for senior citizens.

In terms of infrastructure, Governor Adeleke has done so much within a short time to the chagrin of his doubters. No fewer than 90 kilometers of road projects across the state have been embarked upon by Governor Adeleke, and unlike the experience in the past, it spread across the federal constituencies in Osun state. Abandoned road projects, such as the Osogbo-Ikirun dual carriage road has come to life as 10.5km of the portion had been delivered and already in use while efforts are ongoing to complete the stretch to the Kwara boundary. Ona Baba Ona is yet an abandoned road project, but which Governor Adeleke administration has taken up and will be delivered to Osun people in a matter of weeks.

In October 2023, Governor Adeleke unveiled an ambitious infrastructure plan, which will transform Osun in terms of infrastructure and improve the situation of the people. The good thing with this infrastructure plan is that it cuts across sectors, promising major road projects including five flyovers, rehabilitation of schools and PHCs, improved access to water through sinking of motorized boreholes in each of the 332 political wards and a host of others. In this plan, at least 1.5km of road will be constructed in each of the 30 local governments and the area office, something that wasn’t experienced under his predecessor. Work has started on some of these projects, particularly the Old Garage-Lameco dual-carriage road project.

In his short-term measure to meet the health needs of the people, Governor Adeleke introduced Imole Surgical and Medical Outreach, which has so far benefitted nothing less than 50,000 across the state for various health challenges including operations. A few weeks ago, Osun took delivery of digital transmitters and other equipment necessary to revive broadcast media outfits in Iwo, Ife and Osogbo under the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC).

So, the opinion that Governor Adeleke is not performing in office is at best, jaundice, because the manifestations of the remarkable success that Governor Adeleke has recorded as Governor is too glaring for anyone to reach the warp conclusion inherent in Josiah Ige piece. This wrong notion definitely guided the wrong assumption of questions on utilization of federal accruals.

I think the rush to sell wrong narratives about Governor Adeleke failed the Oke camp. For a start, Osun did not receive N150 billion as allocation in 2023 not to talk of the ‘over’ Josiah Ige erroneously quoted in his article. Just as I had said in a previous article, FAAC allocation distribution is public information, and it is unwise for anyone to subject it to propaganda as we just observed. Osun received less than N150 billion last year, and what a significant part of the receipt was spent on is clear to all, including those who choose to live in denial, out of political considerations.

Roads, renovation of schools, pension liabilities, salaries, borehole projects, and many others were the beneficiaries of receipts for Osun from federal sources last year. And one thing, which I think those in the business of selling wrong narrative about Osun and Governor Adeleke is that, he had at several occasions informed the people of the creation of a separate account for projects, where unutilized funds are remitted to fund critical projects for the state. He explained this to journalists when they sought to know where funds for the multi-billion infrastructure plan will come from since the state will not borrow for it. Haba!

Governor Adeleke is a sincere leader and this much was acknowledged by a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, when he noted that “I have told people that this is the most sincere governor, Osun ever has” at a recent visit by Ilesa Grammar School Old Students Association.

And as for the conjecture about Yeyeluwa Modupeola Sanni-Adeleke, which Josiah Ige, extensively explored in his failed attempt to misrepresent Governor Adeleke, it is best to leave him to the fancy of his beer parlor gossip, which is in no way the same with reality. Osun people voted Governor Adeleke and he’s very much in charge of the government of the people as against the wild and unreasonable theory entertained by cheap politicians.

Wole Oke should know that he is committing the worst political mistakes of his life by these unwarranted attacks on Mrs Adeleke -Sanni and highly respected Dr Deji Adeleke. He needs to learn from political history to know that the Adeleke family always plays straight , hence the family’s victory in most political battles.

What sin has the family committed to warrant false attacks and accusations? Is it a sin to support one’s brother? Is it not a pride when a member of your family is doing well as Governor Adeleke is widely judged to be doing ? What does Wole Oke stand to gain by dragging in the mud names of respected global business icon, Dr Deji Adeleke?

If One continues on this path, there is no doubt that we will face him squarely especially as our Governor is performing.

Governor Adeleke is making Osun people proud and his family happy that he is justifying the confidence reposed in him. The Governor is busy with the job of meeting the needs of the people and won’t be distracted, no matter how sly Oke and his few co-travellers are.

●Kaleaiye of Imole +4 Movement send this piece from Ilesa

Disclaimer: This piece represents the opinion of the writer not that of CityMirrorNews