The Special Adviser and spokesperson to Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, has urged residents of the state not to feel betrayed by the governor’s endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
Rasheed said the governor’s decision to support Tinubu was not a recent development, stressing that the endorsement was made before Adeleke’s victory in the just-concluded Osun State governorship election.
He made the clarification on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise News, while responding to questions on whether Osun residents should be disappointed by Adeleke’s decision to endorse Tinubu shortly after his re-election.
According to Rasheed, Adeleke had publicly expressed his support for Tinubu at different stages of his political journey, including while he was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and after moving 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.
He explained that Adeleke’s decision was based primarily on what he described as the need to attract federal projects and development to Osun State.
Rasheed said the governor had made his reasons for supporting Tinubu clear, including the need to secure federal presence and facilitate the completion of federal road projects across the state.
“So the whole world, the political space is aware that Mr. Governor has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the governor explained the reasons why he’s endorsing. He talks about developmental focus. The need to attract federal presence,” he said.
He further pointed to ongoing and recently awarded road projects in Osun as examples of federal interventions the state could benefit from.
According to him, work had commenced on the Ilesa-Ibadan Road, while the Osogbo-Ibadan Road and Gbongan-Osogbo Road had also been awarded.
“And 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 stated.
The governor’s spokesperson maintained that Adeleke’s support for Tinubu was motivated by what he described as the broader interests of the people of Osun rather than political opportunism.
He argued that the governor was seeking to maintain a working relationship with the Federal Government to attract more development to the state.
“So, the governor is looking at backing the man on the seat for several reasons, and you know this predates our election victory. So, I will say people should not feel betrayed. Mr. Governor is only doing the right thing that is in the best interest of Osun people,” Rasheed said.
The comments come amid renewed political discussions over Adeleke’s relationship with Tinubu following the Osun governorship election and ahead of the 2027 general elections.