Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has dismissed accusations that he is building an “Adeleke dynasty” in Osun, insisting the family’s continued role in politics reflects public preference, not imposition.
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday, August 16, Adeleke said the criticism from opposition parties ignores the role of voters.
“I’m not the one who made it. It is the Osun people that want us. They want us, not me. This is democracy. Can we force them?” he asked.
He described the Adeleke family as unusually close, and said that bond is part of why people identify with them. “They believe that our family is a family that a lot of people would love their family to be like that. We are so close,” he added. Adeleke also shared a childhood memory of being the last born and “selfish” with his things, while his siblings would share with him.
The comments come as debate grows over the number of Adeleke relatives in government. Since taking office, the governor has appointed several family members to key positions. His sister-in-law, Mrs. Adenike Folasade Adeleke, widow of former governor Isiaka Adeleke, is Commissioner for Federal Affairs.
His nephew, Tunji Adeleke Jnr, also Isiaka’s son, chairs the Local Government Service Commission. His cousin, global music star David Adeleke, known as Davido, heads the Osun Sports Trust Fund.
The governor also briefly held the works portfolio himself. Behind the scenes, his billionaire brother Adedeji Adeleke is widely seen as a major financial backer of the family’s political structure.
The issue flared up again during the August 15 governorship election. INEC declared Adeleke of the Accord Party winner with 511,067 votes, ahead of APC’s Oyebanji with 444,815 votes.
AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore then accused the family of treating the Osun treasury like a “family jackpot” and criticized Davido for allegedly working with both the Adeleke government and President Bola Tinubu’s APC. Sowore wrote on X that the family wanted “opportunism and political hedging.”
Davido responded bluntly: “Ur a useless man.” He had earlier posted during the election that “I can never support APC in my life!!” and called for vigilance against alleged irregularities.
Adeleke maintained that in a democracy, voters have the final say, and that his family’s electoral wins cannot be reduced to personal ambition alone.
