By Our Reporter
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, days after securing re-election in the August 15 governorship election.
Adeleke’s visit came shortly after he received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), formally confirming his victory in the election.
The governor arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:25pm and held a closed-door meeting with Tinubu. He was accompanied by National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and other officials.
During the meeting, Adeleke presented his Certificate of Return to the President.
Speaking briefly with State House correspondents after the meeting, the governor said he visited Tinubu primarily to thank him for allowing the electoral process to run its course.
“Yeah, that is why I’m here to thank Mr. President, the father of the nation, because he fought for this democracy,” Adeleke said.
He added that Tinubu’s decision to allow the election to proceed without interference contributed to what he described as a free and fair electoral process.
Adeleke’s visit was also significant because he contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, with 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes, winning 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas.
Following the meeting, speculation emerged in some political circles that Adeleke’s engagement with Tinubu could be connected to a possible move to the APC.
However, the Imole Campaign Council later dismissed the speculation, insisting that the governor’s visit had nothing to do with any plan to defect to the ruling party.
The council said the meeting was consistent with the political tradition of a newly re-elected governor paying a courtesy visit to the President after an off-cycle election.
Tinubu had earlier congratulated Adeleke on his victory and urged him to use his second term to unite the people of Osun State, regardless of their political affiliations, while focusing on stability and socio-economic development.
The visit therefore marked an important post-election engagement between the President and the re-elected Osun governor, coming amid heightened political attention in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
