Adeleke, the ‘Crown-Overcomes’, Osun Gives Incumbent a Second-Term Mandate

The election was particularly notable because the three leading contenders – Adeleke of the Accord Party, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam, are from Osun West Senatorial District, which turned the contest into a major political battle within the same expansive political constituency.

From Ede to Osogbo, the celebration spreads. At Ward 2, Unit 9, Abegunde Compound in Ede North, Adeleke’s home base, supporters celebrated his strong performance. The result became an emotional moment for residents who see the election beyond being a political contest, to a verdict on the direction of their communities. The excitement is blasting in a fest of party-colours on voters. Across towns and villages, the election should be revamping conversations about creation of jobs, roads, schools, healthcare, small businesses, agriculture, the cost of living, etc., issues that determine whether political victories translate into better lives at the grassroots.

The trader opening her stall in Ede, the young graduate looking for work in Osogbo, the farmer in Iwo seeking better access to markets, or the artisan hoping for affordable finance, the real meaning of this second term, will ultimately be evaluated in the nearest future by the practical improvements of socioeconomic interfaces. Supposedly, that is where Adeleke’s next challenge might begin from. Osun State people looking a second mandate with high economic expectations.

A second term would give the governor an opportunity to move from electoral promises to serious economic consolidation. Like many Nigerian states, Osun needs an economy that creates opportunities surpassing government’s employment. A widespread of formidable macro/micro enterprises sector. More entrance of foreign investment, manufacturing establishments and so on. The administration will definitely face pressure to attract private investment, expand support for MSME businesses, strengthen agriculture/agro-processing, improve infrastructure and create an enabling environment where young people can find productive work, marshal-out their enterprises, drive macro/micro employments, etc., without leaving the state, in the coming days ahead.