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 recently 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.

“We intend to pursue a second term in office on the platform of the Accord Party to complete the ongoing delivery of good governance and democratic dividends, which have been applauded at home and abroad,” he said.

Adeleke said that he opted for the party because its mission of welfarism aligned with his administration’s focus on citizens’ and workers’ welfare.

Good as the move may appear to be, watchers of political events in Osun are wondering how strong, popular and widely acceptable is Accord in Osun.

They also expressed concern about how effective the platform can be for the actualisation of the governor’s second term ambition, basing their worries on the party’s antecedents.

For instance, since the establishment of the party by former Gov. Rashidi Ladoja who is now the Olubadan of Ibadanland, it is not on record that it has won governorship election in any state in the country, though this does not mean that Adeleke may not spring a surprise.

Notwithstanding the confidence exuded by the governor during his formal defection to Accord, analysts are of the opinion that winning the governorship election in 2026 by Adeleke may not be a tea party, given the presence of bigger political parties like APC and ADC.

To them, the governor may need to hang his dancing shoes for now, halt his theatrics and hit the ground running if he must ride on the back of Accord to the Government House for a second term.(NAN)

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By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

Tinubu Support Group; House-to-House Network has appointed Ex Senate President, Ahmed Lawan as its national patron, targeting 75 % of northern votes for President Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 Presidential election.

Confirming the appointment yesterday when the grassroots mobilization team visited Senator Ahmed Lawan yesterday at the national assembly, Abuja, its National Chairman, Comrade Yahaya Muhammad said their aim was to deliver northern votes for the President, relying on the political structure of Ahmed Lawan whom he described as a total grassroots politician.

In his remarks however, Senator Lawan praised the initiative of the network and urged continued support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

“I feel very delighted that you have found me worthy of appointment as one of the leaders, and a Patron of this group. My prayer and hope will be that you continue to expand and deepen your activities across the country, but particularly [in the] northern part of Nigeria,” Lawan stated.

The former Senate President delivered a robust endorsement of the Tinubu administration’s performance, highlighting strides in economic stability and national security.

“I believe that President Bola Tinubu is doing his best and the APC administration is achieving a lot. “The economy of Nigeria today is stable and it’s facing the right direction,” he said.

On security, Lawan acknowledged recent challenges but expressed confidence in the nation’s armed forces, noting the administration’s commitment of resources and his own oversight role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Senator Lawan issued a bold projection, calling for a significant increase in support from the northern region.

He said, “In 2023 general elections, the north gave about 63% of the votes that saw President Bola Tinubu to the office of the President. It is my opinion that in 2027, we should vote for our president with more than 75% of the votes that will bring him back to office.”

He argued that Nigeria stands to benefit from continuity, stating, “The President is trying to ensure that we get a fair share. So, we are better sticking with this President than trying somebody new who may not do even half of what we have seen here.”

Senator Lawan also underscored the organic growth of the APC, attributing the influx of defectors from other parties to the stability and visible progress under its leadership.

“Nobody is bribed or coerced into becoming a member of the party, they believe in APC just like we believe in our great party,” the lawmaker representing Yobe North said.

He charged the Tinubu House-to-House Network to expand into a truly national campaign machinery, saying, “Let it be a national network, covering not only major states but all the states of federation.”

“We want to take the success story from house to house. And this is supposed to be the basis of any serious campaign,” he added.

The Tinubu House-to-House Network is a volunteer-driven initiative dedicated to grassroots mobilization and disseminating the achievements of the Tinubu administration across all wards in Nigeria.

By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

The Senate has expressed worries over the recent hike in domestic airfares as one-way ticket costs between N460,000 and N700,000 depending on the destination, demanding immediate suspension of the new price regime.

The Senate which dropped the hint yesterday during plenary moved a motion to summon Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, to explain the rationale behind the sudden and unnecessary airfare hike.

While supporting the motion, senator Adamu Aliero of Kebbi Central said the air ticket from Abuja to his state has increased to about N700,000, wondering what could have led to the hike while describing the new price regime as unaffordable for the Nigerians.

“The airfare is too exorbitant. Going to Kebbi myself, I have to spend about N700k. This is unaffordable.

“There has not been a corresponding increase in aviation fuel and airport charges. So we need to summon all the stakeholders and question them on the reason for the hike,” he said.

In his remarks, senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi of Ebonyi North said he was shocked that the ticket for a one-way trip from Abuja to Enugu goes for between N460,000 and N500,000.

“I called my personal assistant to get the ticket for me for December 13th from Abuja to Enugu. Shockingly, the cost for a one-way ticket from Abuja to Enugu is N500,000 with Air Peace and N460,000 for Ibom Air. This is unheard of,” he stated.

Similarly, Oyo senator Abdulfatari Buhari lamented that it has become too expensive to travel in Nigeria due to high costs.

“Nigerians are finding it very difficult to travel from one place to another, Mr. President. Will you believe that from Abuja to Lagos ranges from 400,000 to 650,000 and then from here Enugu is about 500,000 and even from Abuja to Ilorin is 550,000? When we noticed all these, the committee decided to investigate further and we found out poor people cannot afford to travel looking at the festive period.

“Mr. President (Senate President Godswill Akpabio), it is important that we wade in to help Nigerians because of this festive period that is coming for people who want to move from one place to another, particularly since our road is becoming difficult to travel on. We decided to interact with airline owners; they have also had one or two teams.”

The Senate however summoned Keyamo over the rising air ticket prices, revealing that at a time when many Nigerians were to travel for the festive season, “This unnecessary price cost wouldn’t be allowed to hold”.