Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has expressed confidence in winning a second term in the 2026 governorship election, attributing his prospects to his accomplishments and the goodwill he has earned.
He made the remarks to reporters shortly after being screened by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Osun State Governorship Screening Panel in Abuja.
“I’m so confident I’m going to win. If I could defeat an incumbent, and now that I’m the governor, within two years, it’s unprecedented what we have achieved. I’m so confident that nobody can beat us there.”
He expressed confidence that the federal might would not influence the outcome of the election because he was popular and the people of the state had much love for him.
“How can I be scared? I’m too popular! Anywhere I go, people love me, and everybody says, ‘Imole.’
“What are you talking about? Anywhere I go, throughout this country, even among the All Progressives Congress (APC) people, I have some friends, as well as in other parties.
“Just take APC as a case study: anytime they’re having a party or an event, I’ll go there, I’ll take over, and they all love me.
“If you are not performing, that’s when you’ll be scared. When you have your people behind you, you don’t have to fear,’’ he said.
Adeleke said that he was optimistic that President Bola Tinubu would not want to dabble in the state election but would rather ensure a free, fair and credible election.
Also speaking to newsmen, Adebayo Adepoju, the Chairman of the Osun State PDP Governorship Screening Committee, described the exercise as smooth.
“We had gone through all his credentials to ascertain that everything was in order. We had done that even before he arrived; he had submitted his documents on time.