Follow Us on Google
Nigeria’s unbroken democratic rule clocked 27 years on May 29, 2026. But it is a shame of monumental proportion that a section of the political class still brags about the use or non-use of federal might in securing electoral victory at the polls. More worrisome is the accolades that it was President Tinubu’s magnanimity that made the opposition’s win possible in the last gubernatorial election in Osun State; a contradiction to President Tinubu’s defence of INEC as a neutral body. Besides, the fact that Wike and Fayose (key officers in the Tinubu-led administration) barefacedly boasted in the anti-democratic rhetoric, without known official caution, sends ominous dark clouds over 2027 elections.
To that end, the statement by former president Goodluck Jonathan – faulting the convergence of governors, senior government officers, and party chieftains with their hordes of aides and security details i%MCEPASTEBIN%n the states where elections are holding, should be interrogated. “This trend is unwholesome. If left unchecked, it could threaten our fragile democracy and have serious long-term implications for democratic stability…We must ask ourselves whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders on election day in states holding elections is consistent with the spirit of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition,” he observed. Though he conceded that political parties are obligated to mobilize votes and logistics support to their candidates, but he feared that the current trend could lead to intimidation and mounting of undue pressure on voters. He recalled that under his watch, he ordered senior government officials and party leaders who had converged in the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections “to leave the states immediately.”
Meanwhile, I congratulate Governor Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke of Osun State for his hard-won re-election. His victory is exciting. It is heart-warming and reassuring. It measures the limits of money, power, and incumbency. It also shames the boastful. Mockers like the uneventful Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo must now be counting his teeth with his tongue. He did not know that, “In fact, there are eggs and there are eggs…,” going by the over-the-top-bragging of the fake prophet in Wole Soyinka’s The Trials of Brother Jero.
The interesting thing about Osun’s election is not only that the opposition won but also the affable characters of the Adelekes. Those things that made the family tick came out very strongly. Humility runs in their blood. Governor Adekeke defers to his elder brother genuinely. The trending video of where he prostrated on the floor pleading for his elder brother’s blessings, after the electoral victory, elevates the place of honour in age-gap relationship. The family must have imbibed respect as a code of conduct. Even their dead elderly brother, Isiaka, is also held in high esteem. Irrespective of their accomplishments, they are good-natured people. They are not known for being cocky and dismissive of other people. They don’t also hide their recognition of God factor and passion for music and dancing.
Other News
Those who made a caricature of Governor Adeleke’s dancing hobby failed to understand its inherent power. Good dancers can make things happen. In the time of supreme kingdoms and principalities, dances were commonly used by kings to assess the poise, elegance, courtliness, and social etiquette of potential queens. A girl from a poor and unknown background could become part of the royal family by her extraordinary dancing gesticulations. In the Bible, King Herod was so wowed by the dancing gestures of the daughter of Herodias – that he publicly vowed to give her whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, the girl listened to the wicked suggestion from her mother who harboured a deep grudge against John the Baptist. She asked for the latter’s head and King Herod had to fulfil his public oath. The moral of the story is that good dancing can move the heart of kings.
For Governor Adeleke, his wife, Ngozi had noted that his lifestyle of dancing didn’t start today. She said that people started calling her husband Adeleke Jackson from when he was in school in the US. “When we went to my village for my traditional marriage, my husband danced from morning till the next morning. He brought Shina Peters himself, along with another musician. It was like a carnival,” she said. Indeed, it takes humility and non-attachment of importance to self to dance publicly especially when someone reaches a certain height in the society. Perhaps, that was one of the qualities that earned the biblical King David – ‘a man after God’s own heart’. King David was a consistent dancer, worshipper and song composer.
Indeed, the role of Adeleke dynasty in the whole scenario is worthy of note. They stood behind Governor Adeleke and refused to be cowed by the gathering of powerful forces. The family demonstrated a strong bond and impregnability. The Afrobeat music maestro, Davido fired on all cylinders in defence of his uncle, Ademola. Davido was combative. He counter-balanced the war of attrition with the power of the media. He deployed his network of friends, millions of fans in the social media, and his soaring street appeal to frustrate those who attempted to capture Osun. He reportedly wrote to the US President Donald Trump to beam his searchlight on those who were bent on capturing Osun at all costs. He exposed the financial war chest of APC and refused Akpabio and Dangote’s entreaties to pull down the exposé. Even Davido’s multibillionaire father, Adedeji confessed that he resorted to prayer to overcome the gang up.
More importantly, what Governor Adeleke is doing after the election is instructive and reveals a great measure of emotional intelligence. He understands that the avenger of blood is still lurking around. He knows that the powerful forces have not gone to sleep. They could make him lose in law court. So, he beat them to their game by declaring open support for Tinubu’s second term immediately the result was announced. It was a survival strategy. It was for power consolidation. In essence, Governor Adeleke teaches that what money and influence cannot do, soft power can achieve without noise.
