Osun 2022: A Silent Revolution.

Olawale Oluwade focuses on the governorship aspiration of Mr. Dele Adeleke in the 2022 governorship race, which seems to have altered the state of play and the permutations of traditional political pundits

The forthcoming Osun State governorship elections in July of this year, promises to be pretty interesting. The fallouts from the 2018 elections where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate lost to the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) government, many issues came to the fore before, during and after that election. A couple of these issues need proper interrogations for deeper perspective and understanding so as to make the right decisions now to forestall a repeat of the 2018 painful debacle.

One of the issues which marred last elections in Osun was voter apathy. Of the over 2.1million registered voters, only about 500,000 voters actually voted on the day. The question is why? What is responsible for this magnitude of apathy? The answer is quite simple. The personality of PDP’s candidate. While the people of Osun were totally disenchanted with the administration of Rauf Aregbesola, and desired a credible alternative to the APC and its candidate who they perceived to be a continuation of the same bad policies and programs of Aregbesola.

However, the leading opposition party, PDP failed the electorates when they fielded Senator Ademola Adeleke as its flagbearer. In fact, the critical demography in the state, the youths, were thoroughly disillusioned and voted to rather, stay at home, than go to the polls to vote for a man with a dubious academic qualification and especially, abject lack of demonstrable capacity either in the private or public sector. Their question was, “how do you entrust the fortunes of a badly run state into the care of a man who has never handled any private or public service entity, managing people and resources?”

Now, the socio-political environment in Nigeria has since changed drastically from the events of 2018. The 2020 EndSARS Movement, a peaceful youth revolution to arrest and put an end to the brutal activities of policemen which, sadly was poorly managed by the APC-led federal government, has piqued the interest of the youth population all over Nigeria. In Osun state, the entry of Mr. Dele Adeleke into the 2022 governorship race has altered the state of play and the permutations of traditional political pundits.

Dele Adeleke’s governorship aspiration has become a revolution of sorts. A revolution driven by the youths, academics, market people, artisans, civil service personnel and intellectuals both at home and abroad. His aspiration to vie for the PDP ticket is seen by most youths as a mere natural step in the eventual contest with the APC incumbent governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola who they are eagerly waiting to deal a heavy political defeat that will send a resounding message to the APC echelons in Abuja that their years of misgovernance and misrule has come to an end!

Today, in Osun state, the governorship aspirations of Dele Adeleke is akin to a gigantic tsunami. The massive groundswell of grassroots supports and mobilization by all critical stakeholders who see in him the approximation of their time-honored values and ideals is simply incredible. In addition to the youth demography, Osun state has a total of twenty-four (24) higher institutions; ten (10) universities and fourteen (14) other institutions of higher learning, the second highest in Nigeria, which employs thousands of workers who equally train hundreds of thousands of young students.

The majority of these people in the civil service and larger critical education sector have sworn that they cannot in all good conscience cast their vote for a candidate of doubtful academic or professional pedigree. They are prepared to work assiduously for the realization of Mr. Dele Adeleke’s aspiration for as long as he gets the ticket of the PDP. Pressed further, some stated that they’re better off with the status quo than vote for an ill prepared and poorly equipped candidate in the coming elections!

Therefore, it is pertinent at tis juncture, beyond all the political noise and hullabaloo Dele Adeleke’s entry has since generated in and outside the state, with a section of the extended family and political associates with sympathies for the former Senator, resorting to pettiness, name-calling and mudslinging on the person, heritage and character of Mr. Dele Adeleke, to set the records straight and allow Osun citizens assess the competence and capabilities of the two Adelekes and form their independent opinions as to the suitability of either to best represent the family, win the party’s candidature and eventually emerge victorious in the July contest.

Mr. Dele Adeleke was born in 1972. He is an accomplished professional in the financial services sector, a political strategist, an erudite mind and silent helper. He is also an investor and entrepreneur in diverse economic sectors. Dele “Super D” (as he is fondly called by his friends) holds an OND in Accountancy from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, a B.SC in Management/Accounting, and an MBA in General Management (Passed with Distinction) both from Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He started his career as a Banker at Liberty Merchant Bank Limited in 1991, and then Standard Trust Bank between 1998 and 2002. He later left to join Pacific Merchant Bank limited. where he rose to become the Deputy Divisional Head, Business Development.

Dele was a key actor in the Soludo-era banking industry consolidation exercise announced in 2004, where he led the various interbank negotiations between Pacific Bank and potential merger candidate banks that eventually led to the formation of a Unity Bank Group, the largest number of Banks ever recorded in a merger in Africa (9 Banks).

He left banking in 2009 to engage in private consulting and other investment activities in different sectors of the economy. He has held and still holds different Board positions as Director of Companies in Insurance, Power, Oil and Gas services, Telecommunications, Engineering and Funeral Services. His full profile can be seen on his web page; deleadeleke.com

From the foregoing, the billion-dollar question is how do you compare the accomplished Curriculum Vitae of Dele Adeleke with that of Senator Ademola Adeleke? Furthermore, what does Osun state require now, at this critical juncture in its history? A surrogate governor, who will be beholden to other forces and vested interests outside government or a young, respectful, humble, intellectually sound, dynamic, competent, astute and tech-savvy Governor?

Undoubtedly, Osun state deserves the best and this is represented by Mr. Dele Adeleke at this time. He is vying for office to reengineer, rebuild and reposition the state to the paths of progress, development and prosperity for all. The job at hand doesn’t require dancing proficiency or entertainment but a serious-minded, capable and competent hands piloting the affairs of state 24/7.

Also, the illustrious pedigree of the Adeleke dynasty is one that is envied by all students of politics as the family has played a key and decisive role in the formation and governance of Osun state long before its creation in 1992 and even after. The patriarch of the family, Senator Raji Iyiola Adeleke was one of the agitators for the creation of the state and a Senator in the Second Republic. He was also a leading trade unionist, community leader (the Balogun of Edeland) and perfect gentleman.

His son, who took over the political mantle, Senator Adetunji Isiaka Adeleke, with two masters’ degrees, later emerged the first elected Governor of the state in 1992 in the botched Third Republic and later a senator in the current democratic era. Dele’s candidacy, therefore, will represent the third line in the family’s tradition of presenting its best arsenal for public service. These are Dele’s personal motivation; the interest of the longsuffering Osun people and further projecting the image of his illustrious family.

To the larger PDP family, this is a clarion call to all critical stakeholders to rally round Dele Adeleke by ensuring maximum support for this young, humble, astute, competent, capable and tech-savvy aspirant to emerges the party’s candidate in the forthcoming July governorship elections. The party simply cannot afford to get it wrong this time.

* Mr. Oluwade writes from Oshogbo.