Ademola Adeleke

Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke ((Listenⓘ); born 13 May 1960) is a Nigerian politician and businessman, who has served as governor of Osun State since 2022. He was the senator that represented the Osun-west senatorial district from 2017 to 2019.

Ademola Adeleke
Governor of Osun State
Assumed office
27 November 2022
DeputyKola Adewusi
Preceded byGboyega Oyetola
Senator for Osun West
In office
2017–2019
Preceded byIsiaka Adeleke
Succeeded byAdelere Adeyemi Oriolowo
Personal details
Born
Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke

(1960-05-13) 13 May 1960
Political partyPeoples Democratic Party
SpouseTitilayo Adeleke
Relations
ChildrenB-Red
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • businessman
  • administrator
  • philanthropist

He is from the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State. He contested in the 2022 Osun State gubernatorial election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and defeated incumbent governor, Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola of the APC who defeated him in the 2018 Osun State gubernatorial election rerun.[1][2]

Education

Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State then relocated to Old Oyo State and attended Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire. He progressed to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede also in the then Old Oyo State and later moved to Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he finished his secondary school education before relocating to the United States.[3] As he left Nigeria to continue his studies joining his two other elder brothers in the United States of America.[3] He started higher studies at Jacksonville State University,[4] Alabama in the United States where he majored in criminal justice and with minor in political science.[5] After much controversies surrounding his educational qualification, he went back to school and got enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2021.

Career

Private sector

Adeleke is a businessman and administrator; he served as an executive director of Guinness Nigeria Plc from 1992–1999, where his co-directors included General Theophilus Danjuma;[6] he was the group executive director at his brother's company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016.[7] Prior to joining Pacific Holdings Limited, Ademola had worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor in 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company as vice president from 1990 to 1994.[8]

Politics

Adeleke is a community member and philanthropist. [9] Adeleke started his political career in 2001 alongside his late brother Senator Isiaka Adeleke who died in April 2017. He contested at the Osun west 2017 by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the People's Democratic Party.[10]

Ademola was a member under the All Progressives Congress until he decamped to the People's Democratic Party in April 2017[11][12][13][14]

On 23 July 2018, Adeleke emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes.[15]

Certificate scandal

Adeleke was accused and charged to the Osogbo high court for forging his secondary school testimonial and WAEC result to cancel his governorship candidacy. The testimonial Adeleke submitted to INEC dated 20 July 1988, as its Heading Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State, as at that year Osun state was not in existence. Also the SSCE results indicated in the testimonial shows that the mode of examination wasn't existing in the year 1981[16] Another testimonial with the Heading Ede Muslim High school dated 2018, indicates that the principal which signed the 1988 testimonial also signed the 2018 testimonial,[16] this led to the arrest of the principal by the.[17] Adeleke's lawyer in his defense claims his secondary school hasn't come out to deny his testimonial asking the court to dismiss the Case.[18] The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke's forgery.[19] Witnesses told court that they didn't see Adeleke in the examination hall. One of the witnesses said he would have recognised him since he is a public figure.[20]

Governorship race

Adeleke ran for Osun state governorship election[21] under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive[22] by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and a rerun slated on 27 September 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a "coup".

On 22 March 2019 the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election.

The Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, 5 July 2019[23]

In 2022, Adeleke contested in the gubernatorial election of 16 July under the PDP against incumbent governor Gboyega Oyetola. Adeleke defeated Gboyega Oyetola with 402,979 votes to 375,077 votes. Adeleke won in 17 local government areas, including Olorunda, Ede South, Orolu, Osogbo, Odo Otin, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Atakumosa, and Ila.[24]

Personal life

Adeleke is the husband to Titilola Adeleke and he is a father of eight including B-Red. He is also an uncle to musician, Davido.[25][26]

References
  1. "BREAKING: INEC declares PDP's Adeleke winner of Osun poll". Punch Newspapers. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. "Adeleke get 17 out of 30 local goment areas to win Osun govnorship election". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. Agbedo, Onyedika. "Personality of the Week: Ademola Adeleke". Sunnews Online. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  4. "About – Senator | Ademola Adeleke". Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. Bada, Gbenga. "5 quick facts about PDP governorship candidate in Osun". Pulse. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  6. "Ademola Adeleke's School Certificate Scandal And Other Things To Know About Osun Governor-elect | Sahara Reporters". saharareporters.com. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  7. "How I built multi-million dollar business in US, Senator Ademola Adeleke". Vanguard News. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  8. Admin. "Personality of the Week: Ademola Adeleke". Sun News Online. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  9. "Ademola Adeleke". Nass.gov.ng.
  10. "peoplesdemocraticparty.com.ng". Peoplesdemocraticparty.com.ng.
  11. "Peoples Democratic Party". Peoplesdemocraticparty.com.ng.
  12. Herald, Premium (13 June 2017). "Osun West by-election: Isiaka Adeleke's brother, Ademola decamps to PDP". The Premium Herald. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  13. "Osun West by-election: Isiaka Adeleke's brother, Ademola withdraws from APC primary, decamps to PDP". Daily Post Nigeria. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  14. "APC a party of lies, I was card-carrying member but not again – Adeleke - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  15. "BREAKING: 'Dancing Senator' Ademola Adeleke Emerges Osun PDP Governorship Candidate… By 7 Votes". Sahara Reporters. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  16. "Adeleke presented forged school testimonials to INEC, plaintiffs tell court". Punchng.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  17. Oyegbade, Hameed; Osogbo (5 August 2018). "Adeleke faults arrest of school principal over his testimonial". Daily Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  18. "Osun 2018: Adeleke to know fate over certificate suit on Wednesday". Punchng.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  19. "Court refuses to stop Adeleke as Osun PDP gov candidate". Punchng.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  20. Television, Oak (4 April 2019). "Certificate Scandal: We didn't see Ademola Adeleke in exam hall, witnesses tell court". OAK TV. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  21. Warami, Urowayino (22 September 2018). "Osun guber race: How the candidates stand". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  22. "INEC reveals why Osun gov election is inconclusive". Punchng.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  23. "Oyetola beats Adeleke at Supreme Court to remain Osun Governor". Pulse Nigeria. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  24. "BREAKING: PDP's Adeleke Defeats Governor Gboyega Oyetola To Win Osun Election". Knowledgebase. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  25. Inyang, Ifreke (11 July 2017). "Davido's uncle, Ademola Adeleke dances to his victory in Osun West by-election [VIDEO]". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  26. "Davido battles odds to support uncle's gov ambition". Punch Newspapers. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
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