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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday presented his certificate of return to President Bola Tinubu during a closed-door meeting at the Aso Villa in Abuja—marking his first official interaction with the President since his re-election in last Saturday’s governorship poll.
The governor arrived at the presidential villa at exactly 5:25 pm, clad in a navy blue traditional outfit, clutching a walking stick, and stepping out of a black Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. He was accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, signals a renewed political engagement between the Osun State governor and the presidency following the hotly contested election.
In a tweet shared by Adeleke’s Special Assistant on Digital Media, Olalekan Badmus, the governor was pictured exchanging pleasantries and shaking hands with President Tinubu. “Governor Ademola Adeleke presented his certificate of return to President Tinubu following a closed-door meeting at Aso Villa,” the post read.
A day earlier, on Wednesday, Adeleke had received his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a ceremony attended by political associates and cabinet members. The certificate was handed over by INEC’s National Commissioner for the South-West, Prof. Kunle Ajayi.
During that event, the governor announced plans to establish a N500 million election violence victims endowment fund, a move aimed at addressing the fallout from the electoral process.
According to INEC’s State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, secured 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who garnered 444,815 votes.
This victory follows Adeleke’s earlier triumph in 2022, when he—then a Peoples Democratic Party candidate—defeated former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who currently serves as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
