…Omisore questions his mental state
If he were livestock, Senator Ademola Adeleke, would probably be a peacock. Demola, like the flightless bird , is so stuck up on ego and his position as a senator, that he may have begun to over-estimate his own worth. But funnily enough, Ademola has caught the funny bug. He cuts the sharp, narrow silhouette of an aggressive jester. He has two claims to fame; being music superstar, Davido’s uncle and his predilection to burst into a dance move for the flimsiest of reason which earned him the nickname ‘Dancing Senator’.
As the political storms are gathering in the race for the successor of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, it all looks like the stage is set for a hotly contested battle between Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, Gboyega Oyetola and Ademola Adeleke. Though Oyetola’s victory as flag-bearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC) has been viewed as triumph of godfatherism; his background as a seasoned administrator and chartered insurer has been pointed as a strength which should not be discountenanced coupled with the fact that he has been at the centre of governance since Aregbesola assumed office as his COS.
His knowledge of how government works is being touted as an added advantage. But the same cannot be said about Senator Adeleke whose rocket-speed rise to the pinnacle of Osun politics can only be attributed to the political exploits of his late elder brother and first Executive Governor of Osun State, Isiaka ‘Serubawon’ Adeleke.
It has been argued that running affairs of a state is not rocket science but Ademola has not shown any prowess in contributing to debates in the Senate nor has any bill been traced to him. Iyiola Omisore, who was frustrated out of the PDP but would be flying the Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s flag in the September election has also launched a damning appraisal of Ademola. According to a quote credited to the Ife-born former senator and deputy governor, Ademola “Adeleke is intellectually barren; he lacks the mental capacity to govern anywhere.” His cerebral ability to lead has been called to question a number of times.
Ademola has actually been labelled as ‘chief harvester’ of late Adeleke’s political seeds. Less than a year after he became the benefactor of the hereditary politics that saw him succeed his late brother as senator representing Osun West Senatorial District due to sympathy votes, he is the one again who is flying the Peoples Democratic Party’s flag in a contest for which his late brother had prepared before his shocking demise. Ademola has since been an object of derision since his pronouncement as winner of the PDP primaries. Ademola’s boogying antics are not helping him either. He has exhibited more dancing dexterity than political sagacity in the stewardship of his present office. Government business, especially a like Osun which is neck-deep in debts, is not for entertainers only reputable for waist-winning and with to-tapping moves.
The emergence of Oyetola and Ademola in the parties’ respective primaries over the weekend confirms a forecast called by TheCapital three months ago that the battle for supremacy in Osun politics would be between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Aregbesola on the one hand and the Adelekes, especially Deji Adeleke, the music superstar, Davido’s father on the other.
