Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has confirmed his support for President Bola Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, describing him as a son of the state.
Adeleke said this at a press conference on Sunday, just after the Independent National Electoral Commission certified him the victor of the August 15 governorship race.
The governor also praised Tinubu for his advocacy for a free and fair election in the state.
“At this point, I must deeply appreciate Mr. President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election.
“Mr. President is a son of Osun State, and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election,” Adeleke said.
Despite having earlier endorsed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential race, the governor was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party before defecting to the Accord Party before the Osun governorship election.
Adeleke was proclaimed the winner of the election at approximately 7:24 a.m. on Sunday by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.
The Accord Party candidate received 511,067 votes, defeating his nearest adversary, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who received 444,815 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government districts, with Oyebamiji winning 11. Najeem Salaam, the African Democratic Congress candidate, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The outcome ensured Adeleke’s second term after he was elected governor in 2022 on the PDP platform before switching to the Accord Party for the 2026 election.
Earlier on Sunday, Adeleke thanked Tinubu for calling to congratulate him on his victory, and he expected Oyebamiji to do the same.
“Yes. This is no victor, no vanquished. I want them to come over. I am expecting Oyebamiji to even, as a civilized person, call me and congratulate me,” he said.
He added, “And of course, I want to seize this opportunity to thank Mr. President. Mr. President has called me, and he has congratulated me. And I thank you, Mr. President, for making sure democracy lives on, because you fought for it, Mr. President.”
