Lasun Alagbe
Being a country still seriously looking for seriously leadership, his hobby nearly wrecked him. That is dancing. Dancing and rolling not just like olokun afelele, but, as Yorubas say metaphorically, also swinging like osa amilegbe. Whether it is hip hop or traditional fuji or apala, his enormous body obeys the drum the way the salt obeys the rain. As a result, many despised him, and named him the Dancing Senator unfit to be governor of any state. But time and destiny have said no to such a sentiment as Adeola Nurudeen Adeleke has fluidly won the governorship election in Osun State.
As a matter of fact, it is also widely believed that his is a victory delayed, based on how the election went in 2018. There are those who will swear to the sky that he won the main poll but a force smarter than him changed the plan of his destiny. What is most important, however, is that his time seems to have finally come, and the Dancing Senator has, if you like, emerged the Dancing Governor-elect.
Although the biography of the uncle of superstar musician, Davido, is often buried in the great wealth of his brother, Deji Adeleke, he too has his own business history. In his profile, he is described as a businessman and administrator. He served as an executive director of Guinness Nigeria Plc from 1992-1999, where his co-directors included retired General Theophilus Danjuma. He was the group executive director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited, from 2001 to 2016.
Prior to joining Pacific Holdings, Ademola had worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor in 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company as vice president from 1990 to 1994.
While Adeleke started his political career in 2001 alongside his late brother Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017, he had however also had to battle a certificate scandal as he was accused and charged to the Osogbo high court with forging his secondary school testimonial and WAEC result. The testimonial Adeleke submitted to INEC dated 20 July 1988, as its Heading Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State, whereas as of that year Osun State was not in existence.
Also, the SSCE results indicated in the testimonial shows that the mode of examination wasn’t existing in the year 1981. Another testimonial with the Heading Ede Muslim High school dated 2018, indicates that the principal which signed the 1988 testimonial also signed the 2018 testimonial. This thus led to the arrest of the principal. But Adeleke’s lawyer, in his defence, claims his secondary school hasn’t come out to deny his testimonial, asking the court to dismiss the case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery.
He seems to have survived the entanglement, now that he has been declared the governor-elect.
