The people of Osun State should not feel betrayed by Governor Ademola Adeleke’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, has said. Rasheed explained that the governor’s decision to support Tinubu was announced before his victory in the Osun governorship election.
He made the clarification while appearing on Arise TV on Tuesday. The governor’s aide was responding to questions about whether Osun residents should be disappointed by Adeleke’s decision to endorse Tinubu immediately after securing another term in office.
Rasheed said Adeleke’s support for Tinubu was not a decision taken after winning the election. According to him, the endorsement had already been publicly declared while Adeleke was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He added that the position remained unchanged after the governor moved to the Accord Party.
“When Mr. Governor was within the PDP, the endorsement was announced. When he crossed over to Accord, the endorsement was announced. So the endorsement predates this election victory.”
Rasheed said Adeleke had also explained why he chose to support the President.
According to the governor’s spokesperson, Adeleke’s decision was driven largely by the need to attract greater federal attention and infrastructure development to Osun. He said the governor wanted to strengthen the state’s relationship with the Federal Government and support the person currently occupying the presidency.
Rasheed identified the completion of federal road projects as one of the key considerations behind the governor’s position. He said several major road projects in the state had either commenced or received approval.
The governor’s aide cited the Ilesa-Ibadan Road as one of the projects where work was ongoing. He also mentioned the Osogbo-Ibadan Road, which he said had been awarded and had commenced construction. According to him, the Gbongan-Osogbo Road had also been awarded.
“As a consequence of that endorsement, Ilesa-Ibadan Road is being worked on. We have Osogbo-Ibadan Road being awarded, the work has started. We have Gbongan to Osogbo already awarded, and so on.”
Rasheed argued that these developments demonstrated the potential benefits of maintaining a working relationship with the Federal Government.
The spokesperson rejected suggestions that Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu was politically opportunistic. He maintained that the governor was considering what would deliver greater development to Osun State.
According to him, Adeleke’s priority was to secure federal presence and ensure that projects requiring federal intervention were completed. Rasheed therefore urged residents not to interpret the endorsement as a betrayal of the mandate they gave the governor.
“People should not feel betrayed. Mr. Governor is only doing the right thing that is in the best interest of Osun people.”
He maintained that Adeleke’s support for Tinubu should be viewed within the broader context of the governor’s efforts to attract federal projects and development to the state.
