Stars Behind Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Re-election: How Key Mobilizers Delivered Osun’s Second Term Mandate
By Abisola Ariwodola,
The August 15, 2026 Governorship Election that returned Governor Ademola Adeleke of the ACCORD Party to office was won, not just at the ballot, but on the streets, in communities, and through targeted mobilisation across the 30 LGAs of Osun State.
The party stakeholders identified as “Stars” behind the scenes of Governor Ademola Adeleke include lawmakers, commissioners, party leaders, and campaign officials whose grassroots work, communication strategy, and stewardship proved decisive to the victory. In no particular order, the roles will be listed as studied.
At the center of the mobilisation was the IMOLE Campaign Committee, coordinated by Senator Lere Oyewumi, who served as Director General.
The committee deployed a ward-to-ward strategy focused on issue-based campaigning, youth engagement, and community stewardship.
Hon. Bamidele Salaam is another anchor who coordinated grassroots mobilization in Osun Central, linking federal constituency structures to the campaign.
He was the Chairman Media and Publicity Committee of the Imole Campaign Council who brought together the media team for the campaign, working in collaboration with the fourth estate of the realm to inform the people.
The Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun from Odo-Otin State Constituency provided legislative backing for the administration’s policies and served as a rallying point for Assembly members across party lines.
He coordinated constituency outreach in his communities,, and ensured the Governor’s and the Assembly’s achievements were projected during the campaign as part of the government’s stewardship record.
Yeyeluwa Modupeola Adeleke-Sanni, mother of the Governor and Matriarch of the Adeleke dynasty led massive mobilisation of women, nursing mothers, widows, and PWDs across the 30 LGAs.
Through her initiative and the family support, she organised empowerment outreaches, town halls, and welfare sensitization that projected the administration’s social intervention programmes, which drove women’s turnout as a major factor in the victory.
The Administrative Backbone Bobagunwa Teslim Igbalaye, SSG to Governor Adeleke provided strategic coordination between government and campaign structures, ensuring that stewardship reports from MDAs fed directly into campaign messaging.
The Osogbo born Teslim Igbalaye with his first family ensured that the ancient town electorates was campaigned to, thoroughly, with highlights on the development brought to the city by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The Chief of Staff to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye is another factor worth commendation. He coordinated the interface between the Governor’s office, party leadership, and grassroots structures.
From Ede Constituency, he ensured that directives from the campaign were executed swiftly and that feedback from communities reached the Governor directly. He is given the credit for smooth coordination and for keeping government and campaign machinery aligned during the election period.
A standout strategy which was the inner core of the centre was the indigenous communication and stewardship network programme led by Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, who designed the Stewardship programme tagged: ISE IRIJU WA, involving Osun state radio stations to project the activities of Governor Ademola Adeleke, on same dates, and time for two hours across over 20 radio stations in the state.
Oluomo Alimi and his team of the Ministry of Information and Public Enlightenment, took government to the people in the indigenous Yoruba language, translating policies into local dialects. The programme focused on relaying issue-based activities, and happenings of the government, from workers welfare, to infrastructure, health, and education among others, in ways communities could understand and verify.
He emphasised that people needed to hear what the government was doing in their own language, in their own town through mediums, and that built trust, the Stewardship programme really worked in favour of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi, as Spokesperson of the IMOLE Campaign Committee, led the media engagement and messaging, projecting the administration’s achievements and responding to opposition narratives.
He was so particular about the development programmes of Governor Ademola Adeleke, and he also coordinated the votes from Oriade zone in the interest of IMOLE group.
David Adeleke the Nigerian Hip-hop star, a member of the Adeleke Dynasty,, who was the Youth Chairman of the IMOLE Campaign Committee, drove youth mobilisation, leveraging on music, social media and town hall engagements to turn out first-time voters.
Osun Former SSG, Hon. Moshood Adeoti served as Secretary to the State Government, SSG, of Osun State, he decamped into Accord party from ADC, hailed from Iwo LGA, Osun West Senatorial District. He has remained a prominent political figure in Osun West.
Hon. Adeoti is known as a grassroots mobilizer from Iwo and Osun West. His coordination, support and work helped deepen the government’s connection as one of the key voices in the state and commands followership in Iwo, Ola-Oluwa, and surrounding areas, a critical voting bloc that delivered massively for the Governor.
Hon. Gani Olaoluwa, a Senatorial Candidate, from Olorunda local government in the Osun Central was another force to reckon with, he led massive door-to-door and market outreach in Osogbo and environs.
Commissioner for Finance, Hon. Sola Ogundipe served as one of the administration’s projection on economic performance and fiscal transparency, he coordinated engagement on projecting the Adeleke government’s record on: Prompt payment of salaries and pensions, increased allocation to LGAs for grassroots projects, support for SMEs, traders and artisans through grants and cooperative funding, and prudent management of state resources
This lineup may not be complete without identifying key figures from the angles of the public service for supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke:
Mr. Ayanleye Aina, the Osun state Head of Service, who played a critical role in mobilising the civil service according to AGIP.
Under his leadership, workers’ welfare and prompt salary payments were projected as key achievements of the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke. His engagement with workers across MDAs helped consolidate support within the public sector, a voting bloc that delivered massively for the Governor.
The Chairman of Osun State NLC, Comrade Abimbola Arapasopo, was central to the organised labor mobilisation.
He worked to ensure that the administration’s pro-worker policies, including wage matters and welfare packages were communicated to union members statewide. His stewardship helped secure the backing of organised labor, which campaigned actively for continuity and peaceful elections.
The duo of Hon. Yemi Lawal and Hon. Jamiu Olawumi, both from Ife zone, who decamped from All Progressives Congress APC to Accord party also aided the anchored mobilisation of electorates in Ife and environs.
The duo’s media engagement strategically placed Governor Ademola Adeleke at an advantage position, giving people view of his good governance and administration as compared to previous.
Hon. Adekunle Adedoye, SA to Governor Ademola Adeleke from Gbongan in Ayedaade LGA, mobilised Ayedaade base and assured communities of continued government attention.
Others identified include: Commissioners and appointees deployed as campaign anchors in their zones:
Hon. Bunmi Jenyo, Commissioner for Cooperatives and Industry, from Ila-Orangun, Osun Central. Mobilised traders, artisans and cooperative groups.
Part of the Ijesa zone mobiliser for the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke is Hon. Dosu Babatunde, Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair, who was central to the administration’s engagement with traditional rulers, community leaders, and Local Government structures.
As Commissioner, he coordinated interface with Obas and Chiefs across the state to ensure peace and support for continuity, did mobilization of LG stakeholders in Ijesa Zone and beyond through the Ministry, aligned of grassroots governance with messages of performance and inclusive development.
Hon. Professor Ademola Adeleke, Commissioner for Budget, who hails from Osogbo LGA projected Governor Ademola Adeleke’s transparent budgeting, and also worked in collaboration with the SSG, Bobagunwa Teslim Igbalaye on Osogbo Constituency and environs.
Hon. Mrs. Ayobola Awolowo coordinated grassroots mobilisation in Ila-Orangun, Osun Central, and across the state in her role as the Commissioner for Women Affair, Children and Social Development.
As a grassroots politician, she worked with women leaders, community groups and market associations to communicate the government’s achievements in health, education and welfare. Her presence helped consolidate support in the senatorial district.
Hon. Ibukun Fadipe, former Chairman, Osun SUBEB from Ijesa zone led engagement with teachers, parents and education stakeholders in Ijesaland.
Since February 2025, when they have emerged at ALGON executive, the team led by Hon. Abiodun Awotunde ALGON Chairman, despite the litigation gap ongoing against Yes/No Chairmen, mobilised all 30 Local Government Chairmen under the IMOLE structure.
His role was to align grassroots governance with campaign activities, ensuring that projects, empowerment programs, and town hall meetings at LGA level translated into voter support.
On his part as Osun ALGON Secretary, Hon. Lukmon Afolabi (a.k.a Abere Soose) coordinated communication and logistics between the Council Chairmen and the IMOLE Campaign Committee.
Known for grassroots mobilization, “Abere Soose” led door-to-door campaigns in Ede and neighboring LGAs, ensured project visibility, community engagement, and voter turnout at ward level, focusing on youth and market associations.
A landmark from the local government was Hon. Abayomi Aina Chairman, Boluwaduro LGA,who hailed from the popular Otan Ayegbaju town, where another political party (Accord) won in the history of the town.
He ensured coordination, worked and campaigned round the clock to ensure that Governor Ademola Adeleke wins at his local government.
Also, Chairman, Christian Religious Group, IMOLE Campaign Team, Bishop Seun Adeoye and his team led faith-based mobilisation for the campaign.
Under his leadership, the Christian Religious Group of the IMOLE Campaign engaged churches, pastors, and Christian bodies across Osun, alongside other religious bodies who worked for re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke
The group focused on peace advocacy, voter education, and projecting the administration’s pro-people policies to the faith community.
The campaign structure reflected a full government-to-grassroots chain: a combination of government stewardship, indigenous communication, labour support, women mobilisation, welfare advocacy, and faith-based engagement, plus grassroots mobilisation, and the coordination at the Assembly and local government levels was critical to delivering votes and sustaining peace during the election was key to the outcome declared by INEC on the August 15, 2026 election, where Governor Ademola Adeleke of ACCORD party was returned with 511,067 votes.
All the identified stakeholders worked in collaboration with other major players of Accord party, as well as members of the accord party.
The combined effort translated to massive turnout and votes across Osun’s 3 Senatorial Districts. Stakeholders credit the victory to three factors: clear messaging on performance, inclusive mobilisation of women, youth, aged faith groups, and PWDs, was central to the mandate with the use of indigenous communication to make governance visible at the grassroots.
It is noteworthy to mention that the main stars of the Governor Ademola Adeleke re-election are the electorates, the good people of Osun state who everyone is lauding for peacefully conducting themselves and voting for who they want in the leadership of Osun government in the August 15 2026 election.
Kudos is also given to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for the delivery of the electoral process before, during, and after the election in collaboration with security agencies and other stakeholders.