The Adelekes and their root in Osun state government offices

by Agbonmagbe Kazeem

Governor Ademola Adeleke isn’t the first or even the second member of his family to hold public office. The Adelekes of Ede have been a fixture in Osun and Nigerian politics for over four decades, producing two governors and three senators across three generations.

1. Raji Ayoola Adeleke: Senator, Second Republic (1979–1983)

The family’s political roots trace back to Ademola’s father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke, a labour activist who served as Vice President of the United Labour Congress of Nigeria before entering politics himself. He was elected senator representing Oyo East under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979, at a time when Osun State didn’t yet exist and the area was still part of the old Oyo State under Governor Bola Ige. He represented a senatorial district covering six local government areas, including Ede, Osogbo and Irepodun, and remained an influential community leader in Ede until his death.

2. Isiaka Adeleke: Governor of Osun (1992–1993), Senator (2007–2011, 2015–2017)

Ademola’s elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke — popularly known as “Serubawon” — became Osun State’s first civilian governor in 1992, shortly after the state was carved out of old Oyo State, running on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform. His tenure was cut short when the Third Republic was truncated by military intervention in 1993. He returned to politics over a decade later, winning a Senate seat representing Osun West on the PDP platform in 2007, then switching to the APC and winning re-election to the same seat in 2015. He was still a sitting senator when he passed away in April 2017.

3. Ademola Adeleke: Senator (2017–2019), Governor of Osun (2022–present)

Before becoming governor, Ademola Adeleke entered elected office himself following his brother’s death. When the APC declined to give him its ticket for the resulting by-election, he defected to the PDP and won the Osun West senatorial seat in 2017, serving until 2019. He made two attempts at the governorship — narrowly losing a contested rerun in 2018 — before finally winning in 2022, becoming the second Adeleke to govern the state and the family’s third senator overall. He has since decamped again, this time to the Accord Party, ahead of his re-election bid in 2026.

4. Adenike Adeleke: Commissioner for Federal Affairs, Osun State (2023–present)

An Osogbo indigene, Abuja-based businesswoman, and the widow of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Ademola’s elder brother and Osun’s first civilian governor. She was named Commissioner for Federal Matters in July 2023, making her the first person to hold that specific portfolio. Her appointment drew criticism because it went to a family member (by marriage), and because as an Osogbo indigene, some argued the slot should’ve gone to someone without ties to the Adeleke family of Ede.

5. Ademola Adeleke: Commissioner for Works, Osun State (self-appointed, 2023)In an unusual move, Governor Adeleke also appointed himself Commissioner for Works alongside his cabinet reshuffle in 2023, holding the portfolio concurrently with the governorship. His deputy governor, Kola Adewusi, was simultaneously made Commissioner for Sports and Special Needs.

Beyond direct officeholders, the family’s political reach extends further still: Dupe Adeleke Sanni, Ademola’s sister and the Yeyeluwa of Edeland, is widely credited within the family as a key political strategist. Taken together, it’s a dynasty that has shaped Osun politics for decades………..

To be continue

“THE HISTORIAN”
AGBONMAGBE REMILEKUN KAZEEM
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