SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE! simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961
Let me instantly confess that I was delighted Senator Ademola Adeleke won the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun state. The Accord candidate outscored Chief Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by 511,067 votes to 444,815, coasting home with a margin of 66,252. Dr Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came a distant third with 17,180 votes, leading to insinuations that his party folded for Accord to stop the APC. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the ADC leader in the state, would rather eat grass than see the APC reclaim the governorship. But many in the APC would rather take Salam’s tally as core evidence that Aregbesola is a political lightweight.
Why was I delighted Adeleke won? One, I believe in a competitive democracy with multiple choice. The APC already controls 31 of the 36 states. The entire north, minus Bauchi, is APC. The entire south, minus Anambra, Abia, Oyo and Osun, is APC. At this rate, the whole country would be painted in APC colours. I stopped watching the German league because Bayern Munich were always sure to win it. The Scottish league is all about Celtic. For me, there is no joy watching a one-sided affair. APC members and supporters are not complaining though. They would be glad to have all the states in their party. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in that mode until the tables turned in 2015.
