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“Win-win is a belief in the Third Alternative. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way.”
—Stephen Covey
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
It is commonly said that where there is a will, there is always a way. In the last few days, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has apparently shown that he has taken some lessons from Stephen Covey, author of the globally popular book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.
FightMediocrity, a Youtube channel produced a motivational video based on Covey’s book, and tried to summarise it this way: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand, synergize, and sharpen the saw.
Again, Dean Acheson dropped this timeless advice: “Negotiation in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties are more anxious to agree than to disagree.
In a related manner, Mary Parker Follet intones that “there are three ways of dealing with difference: domination, compromise, and integration. By domination only one side gets what it wants; by compromise neither side gets what it wants; by integration we find a way by which both sides may get what they wish.”
In some sense, Governor Adeleke appears to have imbibed the good counsel of the seasoned experts of personal development. Similarly, John C. Maxwell in his 2009 book, How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, said: “The best relationships are win-win. Why don’t more people go into relationships with that attitude?”
With gale defections hitting the People Democratic Party (PDP), which had been embroiled in festering, debilitative and destructive internal leadership crisis that was clearly eating the soul of his party, Adeleke took the first advice of Steven Covey and initiated a proactive search for a suitable altternative political platform from which to actualize his quest for a second term as the governor of Osun State, a priced political diadem which for long had been in the direct line of sight of a former governor, from whose hands Adeleke had wrested it in 2022 in a hotly contested election.
With several opposition party governors and notable political personalities defecting into the All Progressives Congress (APC), while some others chose to kiss President Tinubu’s ring, pledged their allegiance, reached a mutually beneficial and symbiotic, “scratch my back and I will scratch yours” arrangement that would allow them remain in their parties, secure their governorship seats while working for him ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Somehow, Adeleke was rather looking to wear the full APC political agbada and be free to merrily dance all the way into a second term. This was decidedly inimical to the ambitions of core, diehard Osun APC chieftains, who expectedly hit the roof and would have none of such “nonsense” in the party, which they had literally invested their blood and sweat to build and nurture through three election cycles.
The APC gatekeepers in the state made several allegations and dismissed him as someone who would not really be an asset to the party.
One of them and Osun APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, listed a litany of Adeleke’s alleged ‘sins’ ranging from poor governance, corruption to mismanagement of funds. His administration was accused of imposing very high fees on students of the state’s University of Ilesa; insensitive waste of N13 billion on acquisition of luxury vehicles for his aides.
Despite the several private visits Adeleke made to seek the blessings of President Tinubu, the strong opposition of Osun APC chieftains and stalwarts was harder than granite.
But somehow, the Osun Governor weathered the storm, merrily dancing and just having a fun time. Despite being a plus-size male, Adeleke has through the years of perfecting his dance routines, coached his body to move to the rhythm of the music, whether it is the concert hall beat or the political kind. He is evidently mastering the art of achieving win-win outcomes, by closely following the advice of Covey and Follet. In plain language, he beat a retreat, decided to remain in PDP, pledged loyalty to the President and in turn got Tinubu’s endorsement for his second term as Osun State governor.
Declaring his unalloyed support for President Tinubus’s 2027 second term ambition in a statement published on his official X handle, following a strategic meeting with the PDP leadership caucus in Osogbo, Adeleke said: “I met with the @OfficialPDPNig Leadership Caucus in Osogbo after weeks of consultations with stakeholders across Osun – from traditional rulers and civil servants to market leaders and grassroots party members.
“I’m pleased to share the resolutions: I remain in the PDP, the party that gave me the platform to serve the good people of Osun. I have been unanimously endorsed by the Osun PDP for a second term in 2026.
“Our party in Osun has also endorsed President Tinubu for re-election in 2027, recognising him as a proud son of our state. PDP remains the most popular and trusted party across Osun State. I will continue to deliver on our Five-Point Agenda with renewed focus and dedication. The love and support from the people of Osun continue to inspire me. Together, we move forward.”
With the nod of Aso Rock in the bag, Adeleke has gone on a charm offensive, and has been taking appropriate governance steps.
In one breath, he relaxed the curfew imposed on the three warring communities of Ifon, Ilobu and Erin-Osun.
The government explained in a statement that the relaxation was based on the positive security reports from the security chiefs in the state on the security situations in the affected communities.
By relaxing the curfew from midnight till 4:00 am, from July 19, 2025, the people felt relieved from the 9pm to 6am curfew, which severely restricted their lives, affecting night life and different activities.
In a statement, the Governor Adeleke said: “Following the return of peace in the warring communities of Ifon-Ilobu- Erin Osun, it gladdens my heart, as the Chief Security Officer of Osun State to direct that the hitherto 9pm-6am curfew will now be between 12 midnight to 4am of the following day, with effect from today Saturday 19th July, 2025.
“Let me seize this opportunity to appreciate the Olufon, Olobu, Elerin and other stakeholders for their efforts in bringing lasting peace to the three communities, I urge that you should please keep it up.
“Finally, I am using this medium to urge the 100-man Boundaries Resolution Committee for Ifon/Ilobu/Erin to expedite action on the boundary resolution among the three communities.”
For now, Adeleke’s win-win approach has calmed the political storm which his quest to defect from the PDP had set off in Osun APC, especially when it emerged that he was getting somewhat warm reception from Aso Rock against the wishes of the gatekeepers in Osun, notably Chief Bisi Akande, leader of the APC in the state, who President Tinubu could not ignore his disapproval of the desire of Adeleke to join APC and retain the governorship ticket.
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Jamiu Olawumi, gave indication of this when he said that the governor could not be the leader of the APC in Osun if he defected.
Appearing on a guest programme on Channels Television, Olawumi affirmed the governor had lobbied to join the APC.
His words: “The reasons for our rebuffing Adeleke are the results of our findings — civil servants who were being made second-class citizens against their counterparts from Ede were all pleading that we should not allow Governor Adeleke to come to the APC.
“So, the communiqué of the PDP in Osun State, given 72 hours ago, confirms our position that he was lobbying to be part of the APC,” the chieftain said.
Olawumi stated further, “Even if you look at the social media across Osun, there are multiple reasons that are pointers to the fact that he wanted to defect to the APC. If he comes to the APC, he cannot be a leader to Chief Adebisi Akande, of course.
“So, nobody is talking about when he comes to the APC, he will not be our leader. Leader of whom? In the PDP, a governor might be the party leader; in the APC, it might not be the same,” he said.
