{
  "id": 2798450,
  "title": "OPINION: Did the hardship end, or did Governor Adeleke’s politics change?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/opinion-did-the-hardship-end-or-did-governor-adelekes-politics-change",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-23T11:52:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ripples Nigeria",
    "slug": "ripples-nigeria",
    "url": "https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/opinion-did-the-hardship-end-or-did-governor-adelekes-politics-change/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Governor Ademola Adeleke's growing affinity for President Bola Tinubu warrants more than a casual political response. Something has changed, and Osun's residents deserve to understand the reason why. The economic hardships Adeleke once acknowledged persist, while controversies surrounding federal actions impacting Osun remain unresolved. Only recently did he accuse APC chieftains of perpetrating political violence, accusing President Tinubu of turning a blind eye. Yet, Adeleke's tone towards the president has grown warmer and more cooperative. As someone who closely followed these disputes, I can attest that this shift demands serious examination. I have worked alongside attorneys and others concerned about the state's local government fund crisis because the issue affected workers, pensioners, local administration, and communities across Osun. If their grievances were serious enough to provoke public outrage, they should not disappear merely because the political atmosphere has shifted. Governor Adeleke's own statements reveal this contradiction. On May 1, 2025, he acknowledged that the economic situation has not been easy, describing the rising food prices, increased transportation costs, shrinking purchasing power, and struggling businesses. By June 2026, he described Tinubu as \"our son, father, and leader\" and declared his steadfast support for the president's 2027 re-election. The hardship had not vanished between these moments; his words as the election approached made the contrast even more evident. On August 3, Adeleke accused APC chieftains of perpetrating political violence while warning against a repetition of the 1983 political crisis, directly appealing to the President to act. These remarks were not casual campaign statements; they placed responsibility on the president, whom Adeleke believed had the power to restrain his political family members. Despite this, Tinubu is not treated as a distant figure disconnected from the APC's conduct. Shortly before the Osun election, he personally brought leading Osun APC figures to Abuja to rally support, demonstrating his personal investment in the party's success in the state. This raises the question: can Adeleke hold Tinubu accountable for intervening when APC actions threaten him, yet remain detached when those same actions become inconvenient to discuss? The controversy over Osun's local government funds provides further evidence of this inconsistency. Adeleke's government claimed that more than ₦130 billion in funds belonging to Osun councils had been withheld, describing the consequences as grave. Those of us who argued the legal, constitutional, and democratic implications did so because real people were living with the consequences. If the matter was serious enough to mobilize public sympathy, Adeleke should clarify whether the issue has been resolved or merely pushed aside. The recent lifting of restrictions on Osun State government accounts by President Tinubu further complicates this issue. The accounts, frozen just days before the governorship election, were later restored without resolving the underlying investigation. While this may explain some of Adeleke's gratitude, it also raises the question of how persuasive the argument is that Tinubu should be treated as entirely separate from federal actions affecting Osun. The EFCC Act grants the president significant appointment and removal powers over the commission's leadership, and international reviewers have previously raised concerns about its institutional independence. However, this is a discussion for another day. I recently disagreed with my publisher when he suggested supporting Tinubu, arguing that while he is Yoruba, he has personally complained about the high cost of living, the difficulty of fueling his generator, and the suffering across the country. I asked whether these conditions had changed or if leadership should be judged solely by ethnicity.",
  "summary": "Governor Ademola Adeleke’s growing enthusiasm for President Bola Tinubu deserves more than a passing political shrug. Something has changed, and the people of Osun are entitled to know what it is. The economic hardship Adeleke once acknowledged has not disappeared; the controversies over federal actions affecting Osun have not been erased; and only recently did […] The post OPINION: Did the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}