By Wale Sadeeq,
Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun is known for dancing hysterically at virtually every public occasion, to the admiration of his supporters, who saw his action as a move to downplay the rigours of governance and introduce some flair.
Nonetheless, from recent developments, it appears that the dancing step Adeleke is renowned for is losing its rhythm.
This is not because the ‘Dancing Governor’ wants that unique feature, long associated with him to come to diminish, but because of the apparent political survival for which he is seriously battling.
To his critics, however, governance is not a business for the comedians, nor something to be trivialised.
Sen. Iyiola Omisore, a former APC National Secretary, is one of the fierce critics of Adeleke’s dancing theatrics, insists that the state requires a more serious, experienced and visionary leader.
“The image of a ‘dancing governor’ does not reflect the gravity of the challenges facing Osun.
“Osun does not deserve a dancing governor.
“Public office requires depth, discipline and focus. No leader who truly appreciates the weight of governance trivialises it.
“Governance is not salesmanship or entertainment; it requires substance, not choreography,” Omisore, a former deputy governor of the state, said.
According to him, tolerance, competence and leadership capacity, not entertainment, define good governance.
He added that the constant display of dancing within the corridors of power signaled a lack of seriousness toward statecraft.
Indeed, the critics saw the governor as somebody who might eventually dance away the destiny of the people of Osun with his “Nollywood approach” to governance.
However, while explaining his passion for dancing, the governor said that it brings him ‘immense joy’, even though delivering dividends of democracy to the people of Osun gives him even greater satisfaction.
“Dancing gives me joy, but delivering on my electoral promises and providing the dividends of democracy to the good people of Osun gives me even greater joy,” he said.
Observers, however, note that Adeleke has of recent lost the dancing steps and he is no longer in his element.
They argue that the governor might have reached a cul-de-sac in his political journey, with his second term bid now being seriously threatened.
Only recently, he announced his defection from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on whose platform he won the governorship election in 2022, citing persistent leadership turmoil at the party’s national level.
The governor was said to have made an attempt to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) sometime in May, even though he denied ever making such a move.
Adeleke, at a stakeholders’ meeting, was quoted to have said that the rumour about his imminent defection into the APC was fake news emanating from those intimidated by his extra-ordinary performance in state leadership.
However, the Director of Media and Information of APC in Osun, Kola Olabisi, in a statement, insisted that Adeleke was indeed planning to leave PDP for APC.
Indeed, the visit by the governor, his elder brother, Deji Adeleke and renowned Afrobeat artiste, Davido to President Bola Tinubu in his Lagos residence in June was said to have been part of the arrangements to seal the defection.
His subsequent visit to a prominent APC national leader and former governor of the state, Chief Bisi Akande, in his Ibadan residence, was also widely believed to be another major move in the defection plan.
Stakeholders also pointed to what they called the ‘desolate state’ of PDP as the reason for the governor’s plan to dump his party for APC.
Meanwhile, reports have it that the attempt hit the rock because of the conditions given to him by the APC leadership at the national level.
Part of the conditions, according to the reports, was that he would have to queue up and that he would not be given an automatic ticket for the governorship election under APC.
With the failed attempt to join APC, Adeleke now faces an uphill task in his second term bid in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Accord, a much-stable but relatively less-popular political party, has offered its platform for the governor following his resignation from his former party, PDP.
The party’s Chairman in Lagos, Dele Oladeji, was quoted as saying that the party would be happy to receive should he formally decide to declare for the platform to pursue his second term ambition in 2026.
“We are waiting for his declaration; that is what we can say for now; we are waiting for when he will declare for Accord.
“In Accord, we are ready for him; whenever he decides to step in, we are set to receive him; accord is a haven devoid of political turbulence.
“It is a very stable and sanitised political platform; we have no factions and no godfathers; any candidate who joins us between now and 2027 is sure of a peaceful and dependable structure.
“If he decides to step in, we will be ready to work with him and ensure his success,” Oladeji told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos shortly after Adeleke announced his exit from PDP.
But Adeleke, on Tuesday, officially joined Accord Party, a development largely seen as a bold move in the pursuit of his political destiny.
The governor, while announcing his membership of Accord at the Banquet Hall of the Government House and in the presence of national and state leaders of the party, also revealed his intention to seek re-election on the platform of the “Thumb-Up” party.
Surprisingly, Adeleke disclosed that he had joined the party more than a month ago, even though he was silent on why he did not make the move public.
“I joined the Accord Party more than a month ago, precisely on Nov. 6, as a platform to seek re-election in 2026.
“This was after weeks of consultation and deliberations with stakeholders and opinion leaders.
“Stakeholders and residents of Osun State are aware of why we are taking this important decision.