Whether by a combination of diabolical means or natural consequence, it's exactly a year ago today, April 23, 2018 when His Excellency, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke paid the supreme price. So much has since been written about him that one would think enough is enough. But he is not one to be forgotten so soon or wished away so quickly.
The history of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke is the history of Osun State. His political detractors would have thought his demise is the end all and end all. But for a politician with antecedent and a solid political structure as he was, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke is as potent in death as in life. For a starter, the historic Osun West Senatorial election that brought his younger brother into the main political limelight as a PDP Senator within a short space of change over from APC into PDP was a show of public discontent for a discerning mind. The levity and derision with which Gov. Aregbesola and the APC thought they could treat late Sen. Isiaka Adeleke and his family; the Ede community and by extension the whole of Osun state boomerang.
In the build-up to the Senatorial election, Gov. Aregbesola went to Ede, not only to speak ill of the dead but to heap insult on Sen. Adeleke's family as a whole and in the process, particularly, he let the cat out of the bag with regard to some huge sum of money alleged to have exchanged hands from the late Senator's family.
The result was that Mr. Aregbesola as the sitting Governor with his paraphernalia of office lost the Osun West Senatorial election woefully and disgracefully, winning narrowly only one local government out of TEN. Gov. Aregbesola took the simple nature of late Sen. Adeleke and his family for granted. He was not familiar with the political terrain in Osun State. He dared the Adelekes and got his fingers burnt. The history of Osun State is inter-woven with the history of the Adelekes. The progenitor of the Adelekes, High Chief Ayoola Adeleke, the Balogun of Ede, who was himself the first Senator of Osun West was in the forefront of the struggle for the creation of Osun State and nearly lost his life in the process. Until Mr. Aregbesola now Gov. Aregbesola came from Lagos to contest the political space with sitting Gov. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a prince of Okuku and pushed him out of Office through litigation, he was not known. If Gov. Aregbesola had been familiar with the political terrain of Osun State, he probably would not have dared the Adelekes. The relationship between Sen. Isiaka Adeleke and Gov. Aregbesola could be described as very cordial until the people of Osun State, especially, the civil servants, market men and women, and farmers made an overture to Sen. Isiaka Adeleke to come and help them by showing interest in governing the state once again. He branded a couple of vehicles for the purpose and thus began the bitterness. "One good turn deserves another" as it's often said, is the reason why the Civil servants and the generality of the people wanted Sen. Isiaka Adeleke back in the saddle. As the first Executive Governor of Osun State, he wrote off the one-month salary advance paid the workers when they left Oyo State at the creation of Osun State.
Furthermore, he did not owe the workers a dime throughout the duration of his tenure. The economy in Osun State at the time was buoyant. The Adelekes have a number of companies and a fairly large number of workers. They know the importance of workers, and they believe a labourer's sweat must not dry before getting paid, in other words, a worker is entitled to his wage as at when due. That was the philosophy that Sen. Isiaka Adeleke brought into governance as the first Executive Governor of Osun State. So much has been written about his large heartedness and kindness to whoever came his way. He was one politician who was always available to all who came his way whether in his house, in his office, on the road, at any social gathering wherever and whenever.
He was considerate and gave freely. He did not have to know you to extend his milk of human kindness to you. By his actions and utterances and disposition, he wrote beautiful stories and history about his family and himself. He lived each day as his last. In the build-up towards the 2003 governorship election, some big wigs within his party, the PDP decided in a gang up to cheat him out of the primary election. He had beaten other contestants and was to have a run off with Chief Abiola Morakinyo who came second and had agreed to withdraw from the contest to allow Sen. Isiaka Adeleke fly the flag of the PDP. The second primary election at the Osogbo Township Stadium also failed due to mass protests over the alleged fraudulent handling of the event, so the election was re- scheduled for the Eagle Square, Abuja. The party Chiefs had also sent a wrong and misleading date to the Adeleke Camp on the eve of the Abuja election with a view to holding him down. Before his Camp hurriedly put things together to go to Abuja it was already 12 mid-night. The entourage left Osogbo residence of Compol Simeon Oduoye in a convoy of 24 Cars and 18 buses to arrive Abuja in the early hours of the Election Day. The party big wigs had their way as they got people to impersonate all the authentic delegates the Sen. Isiaka Adeleke Camp went to Abuja with. It was so ridiculous that even Sen. Isiaka Adeleke’s blood sister and brother, Chief Mrs. Dupe Adeleke Sanni and Dr. Ademola Adeleke, now Senator were impersonated and denied entry into the Eagle Square. He requested for a fresh accreditation of delegates but his request was turned down. Out of frustration, he asked all his delegates to “let’s go home". He was scored Zero while his opponent was awarded 137 votes. Sen. Isiaka Adeleke went to court in Abuja to seek redress but he was under pressure from various sources including the presidency to withdraw the suit. Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the beneficiary of the electoral conspiracy accompanied by one Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa was there at the court premises to respond to the court summons but was shocked to hear Sen. Isiaka Adeleke demand discontinuance of the suit as a loyal party man. The judge who was equally shocked while striking out the suit said, "What a political party has joined together let no court put asunder". A shocked but grateful Prince Oyinlola while thanking Sen. Isiaka Adeleke asked to be given all his telephone numbers both mobile and land - Abuja, Lagos, and Ede. They both exchanged their telephone numbers.
The same forces that had dispossessed Sen. Isiaka Adeleke his governorship ticket appeased him with a senatorial ticket already given to a Mr. Akinlabi Olasunkanmi but Sen. Adeleke declined the offer. He queried, "Why would I have to make another man unhappy? The same thing they did to me that I am not happy about, they want me to do to another person whom I have already introduced to my people and who has been accepted. How do I now go back to my people to say I am now the Senatorial candidate? How would that sound?" I can report today that Sen. Isiaka Adeleke led Sen. Akinlabi's campaign through the length and breadth of Osun West Senatorial District and Mr. Akinlabi won the election. Such was his act of magnanimity and large-heartedness. Towards the end of Gov. Oyinlola's tenure, they became close. What later brought the duo closer till he breathed his last was their membership of APC. The rest is now history. Fact is that Sen Isiaka Adeleke never contested any election and lost except he was rigged out. Some of the perpetrators of the Abuja act against Sen. Isiaka Adeleke are still alive today and are aware of this. Some of them did not live to enjoy the fruits of their act. Some of them still alive today are living in the shadows of their former selves. As a witness, I would here like to remember with respect and admiration those that stood by Sen. Isiaka Adeleke in 2003 when it mattered most. I remember Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Chief (Mrs). Remi Olowu aka Rocco; a woman of great virtue who nearly lost her life during the struggle at Kotonkarfi in a ghastly car accident for which she was hospitalised for months in Abuja; Chief Abiola Morakinyo; Chief Abiodun Opebiyi; Barrister Talib Bello, who insisted on the Abuja trip and Chief Dosu Fatokun. Sen. Simeon Oduoye, Dr. Eluyemi, Chief Gunju Adesakin, Prince Jacob Ogungbile and Alhaji Muibi Adewoye all of blessed memory.
Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, an iconic style impresario in his 22 months in office as the first Executive Governor concentrated on roads construction, rural electrification, rehabilitation of dilapidated school buildings and workers welfare. He also built a five Star Hotel which would have been his unique legacy near the state secretariat, Abere which was almost completed but which was demolished to make way for a Gulf Course. What his political opponents failed to do or found impossible to do was to erase the fact that His Excellency, Sen. Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke CON was the first Executive Governor of Osun State. History would always accord him that pride of place. Had time allowed him, he would have lived his vision of bringing succour to the people of Osun State as their Governor. The liberation of Osun West Senatorial District will be incomplete and meaningless if the whole of Osun State is not liberated. Lovers of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke CON who like to keep his memory alive will be helping themselves out of political oppression and bondage if they vote en masse for Sen. Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke in the fourth coming Governorship election to enable him effect the vision of Sen. Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke CON for Osun State. He's the man with the strategic and financial wherewithal to confront any contestant in Osun State.
After due consultation with members of his nuclear family and some political associates, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke CON and the entire family accepted the invitation of the people to be their Governor once again. And had time permitted him, he would have won the forthcoming governorship election and would have brought into governance non-discrimination, large-heartedness, free- giving spirit, forgiveness, fairness, and equity which are the hall mark of the Adeleke family as he exhibited to workers during his first tenure as governor. The people of Osun State should let the good works manifest in his younger brother, Sen. Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke who the family has kindly released for the job. By electing him, the entire Osun State would have honoured the memory of Late Sen. Isiaka Adeleke CON. " Count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain."(Sophocles) Sen. Isiaka Adeleke CON is at peace with His Creator. He can no longer feel the pain or hardship of this wicked world any further.
Glamorous and respectful Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, CON, has cut a niche for himself and left indelible imprints on the sand of time which any foes cannot obliterate. He lives on in the political space of Osun State and Nigeria as a whole. May his gentle soul continue to rest in peace.
• Wale Ojo, a media consultant wrote from Ibadan.
