OSUN State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday said that he is confident that he will secure a second term in the 2026 governorship election based on his track record.
News Point Nigeria reports that according to him, residents of the state who are “wiser” and know what good governance means will vote for him.
He said the election would not be about the political parties, but the candidates.
“Osun people are wiser. They know the difference between good governance and bad governance, and they have decided to toe the ‘Imole’ path; it is me they are talking about,” Adeleke said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“We are not even talking about parties right now; the party is just the platform. And when they compare the records of what my predecessor has done, and they compare [them] with my own records, they have suffered a lot in terms of unpaid salary.
“I came in, I brought hope, I brought light to Osun State. So, my records, first of all, will speak for themselves,” he added.
Asked whether he was not worried about federal might in the election, he said he won in 2022 governorship election despite being in the opposition, and would do the same in 2026.
“Well, I believe our president is a democrat. He’s been in this position [opposition] before. When he was in opposition, I learned a lot from him, too.
“He’s stood his ground, despite the fact that he was in opposition, and he still won. So, why can’t I do that?
“I was in the opposition when I won last time, and it’s not going to be different,” Adeleke said.
“So the President and the federal mind that is so-called, when they know that people are the ones to decide, and when the people decide that they want me back, they [ruling party] don’t have any choice. We are practising democracy here.
“So, let people decide, and I believe that they will make the right decision because of my track record, because they want continuity, and I can assure you Imole is here to stay,” the governor added.
Governor Adeleke joined the Accord Party on Tuesday after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party on whose platform he won the 2022 governorship election.
He also secured the governorship ticket of the AP on Wednesday.
Adeleke will square up against candidates from major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP, and the coalition in the African Democratic Party (ADC), in an election that may define his political future.