Shehu Sani defends Governor Adeleke’s gratitude, endorsement of Tinubu for reelection

Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has tackled critics faulting Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for publicly thanking President Bola Tinubu following his reelection.

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Speaking after INEC declared his victory at Saturday’s governorship election, Mr Adeleke thanked Mr Tinubu for allowing a free and fair poll, and reaffirmed his earlier endorsement of the president for reelection.

In a statement shared via his verified X handle, Mr Sani argued that the opposition’s expectation for the governor to maintain a confrontational stance against the president is misplaced and overlooks the realities of Nigerian elections.

The former lawmaker argued that securing an election mandate involves two critical stages: winning the actual votes at the polling units and ensuring those votes are properly protected during collation.

According to Mr Sani, many politicians have historically lost elections not because they failed at the ballot box, but because they lost control during the collation phase.

“Most members of the opposition are not happy with Governor Adeleke for ‘thanking’ President Tinubu for his electoral victory.

“They want the Governor to be confrontational. If the President had not helped secure preventte and preventing any attempt to tamper with it, the Governor wouldn’t have been so appreciative.

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“Electoral victory is a product of two components: winning the votes and securing the Collation and victory of the vote. There are many politicians today who lost elections because of the LATTER”, Shehu Sani stated.

Also, commenting on X, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, claimed that Mr Adeleke’s endorsement of President Tinubu’s re-election was based on an agreement reached.

“Thank you, Governor Ademola Adeleke, for the public and unequivocal endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT for the 2027 Presidential Election. You are a man of integrity and honour. ‘Agreement is agreement’, Mr Keyamo wrote.

However, in response to Mr Keyamo’s statement, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, stated that no agreement exists between the president and the governor.

Instead, he clarified that Governor Adeleke’s support for the president is strictly based on the president’s performance.

“Do not undermine the resilience of Osun people. There is no agreement. Our support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, @officialABAT, is based on his performance and reforms that have strengthened states economically.

“Osun people voted for @AAdeleke_01. President Tinubu simply ensured democratic rules were respected”, Mr Olajengbesi stated on X.

Federal vs State Politics

Governor Adeleke belongs to the opposition Accord Party (AP), whereas President Tinubu leads the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

READ ALSO: #OsunDecides2026: More voters, wider win margin for Adeleke, other insights from election results – Report

In Nigerian politics, it is rare for an opposition governor to openly praise an incumbent president, leading to friction within opposition ranks.

Shehu Sani’s assertion touches on a long-standing issue in Nigerian elections—vote tampering, illegal alterations, or security interference during the transport and collation of ballot papers.

Thanking President Tinubu, Mr Adeleke signals that the federal government, security agencies, and election authorities allowed the process to play out transparently without federal pressure.

Hardline opposition members often expect governors from opposing parties to maintain a strictly critical distance from the federal centre.

Mr Adeleke’s conciliatory posture is seen by critics as a sign of compromise, while supporters view it as political wisdom necessary to maintain state-federal harmony and safeguard democracy.