Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has expressed confidence in retaining his seat in the 2026 governorship election, saying his achievements and goodwill among the people will enhance his chances of re-election.
Adeleke stated this while speaking with journalists shortly after he was screened by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Osun State Governorship Screening Panel in Abuja.
“I’m very confident I’m going to win. If I could defeat an incumbent, and now that I’m the governor, within two years, it’s unprecedented what we have achieved. I’m so confident that nobody can beat us there,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the use of federal influence would not affect the outcome of the election, noting that he was popular and enjoyed strong support from the people of the state.
“How can I be scared? I’m too popular! Anywhere I go, people love me and everybody says ‘Imole’.
“What are you talking about? Anywhere I go throughout this country, even among the All Progressives Congress (APC) members, I have friends, as well as in other parties.
“Take the APC as a case study: anytime they are having a party or an event, I’ll go there, take over, and they all love me.
“If you are not performing, that’s when you’ll be scared. When you have your people behind you, you don’t have to fear,” he said.
Adeleke also said he was optimistic that President Bola Tinubu would not interfere in the Osun governorship election but would rather ensure a free, fair, and credible process.
Also Read: Osun PDP Lawmakers Reaffirm Unity, Support Adeleke
Also speaking to journalists, Adebayo Adepoju, Chairman of the Osun State PDP Governorship Screening Committee, described the exercise as smooth.
“We went through all his credentials to ascertain that everything was in order. We had done that even before he arrived, as he had submitted his documents on time.
“We examined his nomination forms and noted that he was nominated by both prominent individuals and ordinary people across Osun communities. This shows that he is widely accepted within the party.
“We reviewed other credentials besides his academic qualifications, and everything was very satisfactory. When he appeared before us, we asked a few questions, and his responses aligned with his submissions,” Adepoju said.
He added that the committee was expecting more aspirants to appear before it and would submit its report to the party upon conclusion of the entire exercise.
