Adeleke won’t decamp to APC — campaign spokesman

The spokesperson for the Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has dismissed speculation that the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adeleke, after his re-election last week, visited President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, sparking claims of a possible defection.

But Olajengbesi said the governor’s recent visit to President Tinubu was purely a courtesy call and should not be interpreted as a move towards joining the ruling party.

While addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, he said Adeleke considered it appropriate to visit the President after the governorship election as a demonstration of respect for the office and an opportunity to appreciate Tinubu for allowing democratic institutions to function during the poll.

Olajengbesi said, “The visit of Governor Ademola Adeleke to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the proper thing to do. It is the norm; it is the standard.

“We all agree that Nigeria is a federation. We have three tiers of government — the Federal Government, the state government and, of course, the local government.

“Osun State is a sub-nation now under the Nigerian government, and we don’t intend to take Osun State out of Nigeria. So we understand, and I think the governor deemed it necessary to pay a courtesy call to Mr President as a sign of respect to the office of the President.”

He said the governor also used the meeting to commend Tinubu for allowing democratic institutions to operate independently during the election.

Olajengbesi added that Adeleke appealed to the President to support measures aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and preventing their manipulation by politicians.

“The visit of Mr Governor to Mr President is not taking the people of Osun State for granted, but the intention is to amplify the aspiration of the people of Osun State,” he said.

The campaign spokesman described Adeleke’s victory in the election as a reflection of the choice of Osun voters, noting that the contest was tense.

He said the governor also used the opportunity to discuss the need for healing and reconciliation in the state following the election.

“Mr President has said to Mr Governor that this is the best time for us to unite our people in Osun State. And he’s in line with the speech and the position of Mr Governor, that it is time to heal the wound of the people of Osun State,” Olajengbesi added.

He categorically ruled out any possibility of Adeleke joining the APC.

“The essence of that visit has nothing to do with Governor Ademola Adeleke joining APC. It’s an impossibility. Governor Ademola Adeleke is not joining APC.

“But I can assure you that Governor Ademola Adeleke will work with the Federal Government to ensure that there’s progress in Nigeria and, of course, in Osun State,” he said.

On reports that the African Democratic Congress supported Adeleke during the election, Olajengbesi said the governor’s campaign neither sought nor entered into any agreement with the party.

He acknowledged that the ADC deployed prominent politicians to Osun during the election but said this did not determine the outcome of the poll.

“ADC did not reach out to us. We are not interested in collaborating with any political party,” he said.

Olajengbesi maintained that Adeleke’s victory was driven principally by the support of Osun voters and not by any political party outside the Peoples Democratic Party.

He attributed the governor’s re-election to what he described as his achievements in infrastructure, welfare and other areas of governance.

“The election is about the people coming out en masse to support a governor who has diligently worked for them.

“If you look at the records of Governor Ademola Adeleke, you look at infrastructural development, you look at his intervention in terms of welfare and the needs of people. We have never had a governor before who has prioritised the welfare of the people, who has been so selfless like Governor Ademola Adeleke,” he said.

He, however, said the meetings should not be interpreted as a move by the governor to abandon his party, stressing that Adeleke would remain in the PDP while working with the Federal Government in the interest of Osun State and Nigeria.