I Never Wanted You To Win – APC Secretary Tells Adeleke During Visit

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has admitted that he did not want Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to win the August 15 governorship election.

Basiru made the disclosure on Sunday when he paid a courtesy visit to Adeleke in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The APC national scribe said the visit was delayed until after the election because of the intense political contest, stressing that he had been actively campaigning against the governor.

According to him, Adeleke had shown him kindness during his bereavement earlier in the year by attending the final rites of his late mother and visiting his home to offer condolences.

Basiru said he could not allow political differences to overshadow the governor’s gesture of sympathy.

“You are the chief executive officer, and you still find time. And not only that you came to my personal house to extend your condolences to me, you also frontally attended. I cannot, because of politics, gloss over that act of charity,” he said.

Explaining why he did not reciprocate the visit earlier, Basiru said politics could become toxic, particularly during an election campaign.

“I was campaigning vigorously against you. I campaigned vigorously against you at that election. Fortunately, God gives power,” he said.

Basiru also used the occasion to formally congratulate Adeleke on his re-election, despite admitting that he had hoped that the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, would emerge victorious.

“Secondly, I must also come as a democrat to congratulate you on your recent victory. And I must say that I did not want you to win,” he said.

“I wanted Oyebamiji to win that election, my candidate that I worked for in that election. But as it were, Allah (God) alone can give power to whoever He wants.”

The APC secretary said Adeleke’s victory must nevertheless be recognised as the outcome of a democratic contest, adding that political competition should not prevent politicians from accepting electoral outcomes.

Basiru further commended Adeleke for maintaining his earlier endorsement of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

He said some people had expected the governor to withdraw his support for Tinubu after securing re-election, but Adeleke had remained consistent with his commitment.

Responding, Adeleke assured Tinubu that he would deliver Osun State’s votes to the President in the 2027 election, describing Tinubu as his “dear father.”

The governor said his endorsement was not a political bargain he intended to abandon after the election.

“I don’t make empty promises. When I said we will deliver Osun State votes to our dear father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I mean it 100 per cent,” Adeleke said.

He stressed that political activities should be guided by integrity and called on politicians in the state to put aside their differences and work together for the benefit of Osun residents.

“Politics must be with integrity. We are all from Osun State. Let’s forget our differences and work for the President,” he added.

Adeleke attributed his approach to political commitments to values instilled in him by his late father, whom he described as a diplomat and labour union politician.

According to the governor, his father taught him and his siblings that commitments must be honoured once made.

The governor also recalled his involvement in negotiations preceding the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as President of the Senate and Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Adeleke said he had assured Tinubu at the time that lawmakers from Osun would support the President’s preferred candidates, despite attempts by some members of his political camp to back Senator Abdulaziz Yari for Senate President.

He said he subsequently contacted lawmakers from the state and persuaded them to align with Tinubu’s position, resulting in the three senators from Osun and members of the House of Representatives supporting Akpabio and Abbas.

The governor said the experience further reinforced his belief that political promises must be kept.

“I don’t make empty promises, I don’t play games. That’s not me, because I have a fear of God,” Adeleke said.

He urged politicians and residents of Osun to move beyond partisan differences and support initiatives capable of advancing the interests of the state.

Adeleke maintained that political disagreements should not prevent stakeholders from cooperating on issues that would improve the lives of residents and contribute to the development of Osun State.