Adeleke Reaffirms Tinubu Endorsement After Osun Victory, Calls President a Son of the State

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has renewed his endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, describing the President as a “son of Osun State” in his victory address following his re-election.

Adeleke made the declaration on Sunday, August 16, 2026, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the August 15 governorship election. He used the occasion to acknowledge Tinubu’s role in the electoral process and express appreciation for what he described as the President’s support for a free and fair election in the state.

“At this point, I must deeply appreciate Mr President, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election,” Adeleke said while addressing supporters and the people of Osun State.

The governor then made his political position explicit, saying, “Mr President is a son of Osun State and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for second term in the 2027 presidential election.” The statement represents a fresh confirmation of Adeleke’s previously declared support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Adeleke had earlier explained that his endorsement of Tinubu was driven by what he described as moral and development considerations and the perceived interests of Osun and the Yoruba people. His latest declaration comes despite the fact that he contested the 2026 governorship election on the platform of the Accord Party.

His reaffirmation came against the backdrop of a fiercely contested governorship election in which he defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. According to the final results announced by INEC, Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent a winning margin of 66,252 votes.

The governor won in 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji carried the remaining 11. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress finished third with 17,180 votes and did not win any local government area.

Adeleke’s victory secured him another four-year term as governor after his first election victory in 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party. He subsequently left the PDP and contested the 2026 election under the Accord Party platform.

The governor’s renewed endorsement of Tinubu is politically significant because it comes immediately after an election in which the President’s governing APC was defeated in Osun. While Adeleke and Tinubu belong to different political platforms, Adeleke’s latest comments indicate that his position on the 2027 presidential contest remains separate from his alignment at the state level.

Tinubu’s political connection to Osun has also been a recurring issue in the state’s political discourse. Recent reports have described the President as having ancestral ties to Osun, while Adeleke himself previously cited Tinubu’s connection to the state when explaining his decision to support the President’s second-term bid.

With the 2026 Osun election now concluded and Adeleke set to begin another term, his reaffirmation of support for Tinubu adds another layer to the political calculations ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The statement is also likely to attract attention within both the Accord Party and the wider opposition landscape as political alliances continue to take shape ahead of the next presidential contest.