Governor Adeleke Denies Turning Osun Into ‘Adeleke Dynasty’ Amid Appointments Of Relatives, Says People ‘Want Us’

 

Governor Adeleke Denies Turning Osun Into ‘Adeleke Dynasty’ Amid Appointments Of Relatives, Says People ‘Want Us’

The governor argued that the ‘popularity’ of his family among the people of Osun State is a reflection of the relationship and closeness among members of the Adeleke family.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has rejected claims that he deliberately turned the state into an “Adeleke dynasty,” saying his family’s continued political influence and dominance in the state is a result of the people’s choice and not an attempt to impose the family on the state.

Adeleke made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday while responding to questions over opposition criticism of the dominance of the Adeleke family in Osun politics.

Asked why he thinks the opposition believes he has made Osun State a sort of Adeleke dynasty, Adeleke said the development was driven by the electorate and could not have been imposed by him.

“I’m not the one who made it. It is the Osun people that want us. They want us, not me. This is democracy. Can we force them?” he said.

The governor argued that the ‘popularity’ of his family among the people of Osun State is a reflection of the relationship and closeness among members of the Adeleke family.

“They believe that our family is a family that a lot of people would love their family to be like that. We are so close,” he said.

Adeleke also recalled his childhood experiences with his siblings, describing himself as the last born who was particularly protective of his possessions.

“I remember when we were growing up, because I’m the last born, I’m selfish, and when I have my things, I don’t like to give to anybody, but when they have their own, they would give it to me,” he said.

The governor’s comments come amid continued political debate over the growing influence of the Adeleke family in Osun State, with opponents accusing the family of exercising excessive control over the state’s political affairs.

Q:Why do you think the opposition thinks that you have made Osun State a sort of Adeleke dynasty kind of affair?

A: I’m not the one that made it. It’s the Osun people that want us. They believe that our family is a family that a lot of people will love their family to be like… pic.twitter.com/LcnV1AVQIp

— Channels Television (@channelstv) August 16, 2026

Adeleke, however, maintained that the electorate remains the ultimate decision-maker in a democracy and that his family’s political successes cannot simply be attributed to personal ambition or imposition.

Governor Adeleke’s administration in Osun State is deeply intertwined with the powerful Adeleke political dynasty of Ede, balancing formal family appointments with immense informal influence from his billionaire brother, Adedeji Adeleke.

When the governor finalised his cabinet and board structures, he brought several close relatives into official roles. For instance, he appointed Mrs. Adenike Folasade Adeleke, the widow of his late elder brother and former governor Isiaka Adeleke, as the Commissioner for Federal Affairs.

He also named his nephew, Tunji Adeleke (Jnr), who is the son of the late Isiaka Adeleke, as the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission.

Additionally, his cousin David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, the global music star and son of Adedeji Adeleke, was made Chairman of the Osun Sports Trust Fund, while the governor himself briefly retained the works portfolio as part of his early cabinet assignment.

Outside of these official appointments, the de facto informal leadership and financial bedrock of the political machinery reportedly heavily rests on his billionaire brother, Adedeji Tajudeen Adeleke.

Previously, SaharaReporters reported that the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, lambasted Davido, accusing him of backing President Bola Tinubu, hobnobbing and supporting the City Boys Movement by the Tinubu administration, while pretending to stand with suffering Nigerians.

Sowore, who also alleged that the Adeleke family had been treating the Osun State treasury like a “family jackpot”, accused Davido of political opportunism over his family’s relationship with President Tinubu and the Osun State Government.

Sowore made the remarks in a post on his X account on Sunday, a day after Davido responded with insults to his criticism of Governor Adeleke’s administration, the Adeleke family’s alleged control of Osun’s treasury and its endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration, amid the just-concluded Osun State governorship election.

Sowore said Davido’s decision to block him on X showed that his earlier criticism had struck a nerve, while accusing the singer of supporting Tinubu despite publicly expressing opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He wrote, “I am pretty happy the message sank in very well, to the point that you had to block me here on @X @davido.

“You can’t endorse a failure like Tinubu, @officialABAT, grin from ear to ear in meetings with him, power your circle with the so-called #cityboys, and then pretend not to understand the consequences of that political choice.”

Sowore added, “I hope you and your family, led by @AAdeleke_01, now understand that @OfficialAPCNg has failed Nigerians and that Tinubu’s presidency has been a spectacular failure.

“You guys must stop fooling around, stop treating the Osun State treasury like a family jackpot, and face the harsh reality that millions of Nigerians are living through every single day.”

The latest confrontation followed a series of posts by Davido during the Osun State governorship election on Saturday, August 15, in which he raised concerns over alleged attempts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, and security agencies to manipulate the election.

In one of his posts, Davido declared, “I can never support APC in my life!!”

In another post, he wrote, “No more supporting any presidential @AAdeleke_01 make we dey our dey!!!”

Sowore subsequently criticised Davido, accusing him and his family of attempting to maintain political influence in Osun State while maintaining links with the Tinubu administration at the federal level.

“Now you know, @Davido. You guys thought you could have it both ways: opportunism and political hedging,” Sowore wrote on Saturday night.

“You want your family to keep controlling the Osun State purse while embracing the same monstrous Tinubu @officialabat establishment at the federal level.

“In the end, it is about protecting personal and family interests, not the interests of the people of Osun State or Nigerians.”

Sowore added, “You cannot claim to stand with the people while simultaneously cutting deals with the political establishment that has failed them.

“I hope the lessons have been learned. Nigerians should now know exactly who these people are, what they represent, and whose interests they truly serve.”

Davido, in a terse response to Sowore’s criticism, wrote, “Ur a useless man.”

Sowore has repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration and political elites aligned with the ruling party, while Davido, who had been in alliance with Tinubu and his government, made a U-turn during the Osun election and publicly criticised alleged irregularities perpetrated by the APC, and called for voters and political actors to defend the integrity of the electoral process.

Adeleke, the candidate of the Accord Party, was declared winner of the Osun State governorship election on Sunday, after securing 511,067 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the final result during the collation of results in Osun State on Sunday morning.

Adeleke defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Oyebanji, who polled 444,815 votes.