Ademola Adeleke
- Name: Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke
- Birthdate: 13 May 1960
- Occupation: Politician
Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke ( born 13 May 1960) is a Nigerian politician, businessman and current governor of Osun state. He was the senator who represented the Osun-West senatorial district from 2017 to 2019.
He is from the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun state. He contested in the 2022 Osun State gubernatorial election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defeated incumbent governor, Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola of the APC, who had defeated him in the 2018 Osun State gubernatorial election rerun.
Career
He served as group executive director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited, from 2001 to 2016. Before joining Pacific Holdings Limited, Ademola had worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor from 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company, as vice president from 1990 to 1994.
Adeleke is a community member and philanthropist. He started his political career in 2001 alongside his late brother Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017. He contested at the Osun West 2017 by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the People’s Democratic Party.
Ademola was a member of the APC until he decamped to the PDP in April 2017. On 23 July 2018, Adeleke emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun state after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes.
Governorship race
Adeleke ran for the Osun state governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), and a rerun was slated on 27 September 2018. The candidate of the APC, Oyetola, was declared the winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result, describing the election as a “coup”.
On 22 March 2019, the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election.
The Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, 5 July 2019
In 2022, Adeleke contested in the gubernatorial election on 16 July under the PDP against incumbent governor Gboyega Oyetola. Adeleke defeated Gboyega Oyetola with 402,979 votes to 375,077 votes. Adeleke won in 17 local government areas, including Olorunda, Ede South, Orolu, Osogbo, Odo Otin, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Atakumosa, and Ila.
