Human rights activist and former Senator Shehu Sani has said some opposition figures are unhappy that Governor Ademola Adeleke thanked Tinubu after securing victory in the Osun governorship election.
Sani made the observation in a post on X on Monday, days after Adeleke was declared winner of the August 15 poll Adeleke, in his victory speech on Sunday, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for what he described as the President’s support for a free and fair election in Osun State.
The governor also reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s bid to secure a second presidential term in 2027. Reacting to Adeleke’s position, Sani said some members of the opposition had expected the Osun governor to maintain a more combative relationship with the President.
“Most members of the opposition are not happy with Governor Adeleke for ‘thanking’ President Tinubu for his electoral victory. They want the Governor to be confrontational,” Sani said.
The former lawmaker said Adeleke’s decision to appreciate Tinubu was understandable if the President contributed to protecting his electoral mandate. According to him, the governor would probably not have expressed such appreciation if Tinubu had not played a helpful role in safeguarding the election outcome.
“If the President had not been helpful in securing his mandate and preventing any attempt to tamper with it, the Governor wouldn’t have been so appreciative,” he said.
Sani also argued that electoral victories involve more than simply securing votes at polling units. He pointed to the collation and declaration stages as equally important components of the electoral process.
“Electoral victory is a product of two components; winning the votes and securing the collation and victory of the vote,” he said.
Sani noted that there had been instances where politicians performed strongly or won at the voting stage but ultimately failed to secure victory during the collation process. His comments followed the political debate generated by Adeleke’s post-election remarks and his renewed support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The governor’s decision to acknowledge the President has therefore drawn attention within opposition circles, particularly because of the political differences between the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties.
For Sani, however, Adeleke thanking Tinubu should be viewed within the context of the governor’s assessment of how his electoral mandate was protected. The comments have added another dimension to the political discussions surrounding the Osun election and the emerging alliances ahead of the 2027 general election.
