In the build up to the August 15 Osun governorship election, incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke has stated dancing has not in anyway affected his performance in office.
Adeleke nicknamed the ‘Dancing governor’ stated this as town hall, held on Tuesday, August 11, themed “2026 Governorship Election: The Battle for Osun State” organised by Arise ahead of Saturday’s election.
Adeleke while defending his achievements in office rejected criticism of his frequent dancing at public events, saying it had no bearing on his performance as governor.
“I dance and work. There is time to dance and there is time to work,” Adeleke said, insisting that dancing was simply a hobby and that his administration had delivered across sectors noting critics who viewed his public dancing as evidence of unseriousness were mistaken.
The governor noted his government had constructed about 350 kilometres of roads across Osun, adding that the roads were designed not only to improve transportation but also to strengthen security and economic activity.
“If you come to Osun, you’ll see that I’ve constructed 350km of roads that cut across the state,” he said. He also added that his government had installed solar streetlights along some of the roads.
Adeleke also said the state had taken responsibility for about eight or nine federal roads despite not receiving payment from the Federal Government for the work.
The governor strongly rejected criticism of the quality of his roads noting Nigerian professional engineers supervised the projects and that international engineers had also assessed some of the work.
“It is a sin to say that the roads I constructed are substandard, All the beautiful roads we have done have been certified.” He said
Socioeconomic Achievements
Governor Adeleke said his administration had upgraded or rehabilitated more than 200 primary healthcare facilities across the state stating the centres had been equipped with electricity and clean water.
The governor also noted his administration had cleared more than N80 billion of inherited pension obligations noting this was evidence that his government had prioritised workers and pensioners despite fiscal pressures.
The governor however linked the state’s financial pressure to the dispute over local-government funds stating his administration had been paying local-government workers from state resources because council allocations had been withheld for almost two years.
Pre-Election Tensions
A major political issue at the town hall was vote buying with Adeleke denying allegations that his administration was buying votes ahead of Saturday’s election. He also accused former governor Adegboyega Oyetola of trying to use federal might to influence the elections. The governor however pointed he was not intimidated referring to himself as a ‘Bulldozer’
“Oyetola is still suffering from the pain of the defeat I gave him in the 2022 Osun State governorship election,” Adeleke said, alleging that Oyetola was using “federal might” because he is a cousin of the President.
Responding to criticism over security deployments in the state in the build up to the elections, Adeleke said he lacked the constitutional authority to deploy the armed forces.
“I did not militarise Osun. I have no such capacity. I am not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” he said. The governor concluded by saying he appreciated President Bola Tinubu’s intervention during the recent EFCC freezing of the state government’s account and said the President had promised him a free and fair election.
“I was promised a free and fair election by President Tinubu,” Adeleke said.
