“Judge Me By My Records, Not My Dancing” – Adeleke Fires Back at Critics

By: Abudu Olalekan

I Have Delivered Across All Sectors, Challenges Critics

The drums were still echoing through Ilesa when Governor Ademola Adeleke took the stage. Sunday afternoon. Hot sun. Crowd sweating but happy. Iwude Ijesha carnival. A big deal here. The governor? He was ready.

He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. Straight to the point. Like a man who’s been holding it in for too long.

“Governance is not about stern-looking leaders parading corridors of power,” he said. The crowd murmured. They knew who he meant. Everyone knows who he meant. “Leadership is not and should not be a master–servant relationship.”

There it was. The gauntlet thrown down.

Three years he’s been in office. Three years of people saying he doesn’t take things seriously. That he’s too… what’s the word they use? “Unconventional.” Too much dancing. Not enough frowning. Adeleke’s had enough.

“Judge me on my records, outputs and agenda as a governor,” he demanded. Not a request. A demand. “Those are the best globally accepted parameters to measure leadership.”

He listed his receipts. One by one. Sector by sector. Federal constituency by federal constituency. Said he’d touched everything. Everyone. “My people, I have delivered across sectors in the last three years,” he declared. The statement from his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, captured every word. But the energy? That was all live. All Adeleke.

Then he got specific. Very specific. Ijesaland specific.

“When we came on board in late 2022, Ijesaland was being plundered without accountability,” he said. Plundered. Strong word. He meant it. Illegal mining everywhere. Environmental disaster. The underground water? Polluted. Poisoned. And the money? “Revenue flow from the mining sector was then to private pockets rather than the state treasury.”

He paused. Let that sink in.

His administration launched reforms. War on illegal mining. Environmental cleanup. River clean-up project with “tested professionals.” The Segilola Gold Project? Osun’s shareholding now secure. Not stolen. Not missing. Secure.

The Ilesa Water project was another wound. “A centre of corruption under the previous government,” Adeleke spat out. A project meant to give water to Ijesa people turned into “a channel of self-enrichment by some people from this land.” His voice changed when he said it. Harder. Sharper.

Today? Contract cleaned up. Islamic Development Bank processing it. Moving forward.

Then he talked about promises. Two specific ones. Made to the late Owa, the traditional ruler. During his campaign. The old man had demands.

“First demand was the dualisation of Ereja palace junction to brewery junction.” Adeleke smiled. “We have completed the dualisation. Solar street lights are installed.”

Check.

“Second demand was for the University of Ilesa.” Bigger ask. Harder lift. “With application of due process and support of men and women of goodwill, University of Ilesa is now a reality.”

Not just a reality. A functioning reality. Close to 100 accredited courses. A local Vice Chancellor. Ijesha academic. The governing council chairman? Also Ijesha. Local content wasn’t just a buzzword. It was the whole point.

Infrastructure upgrades ongoing. “Conducive learning environment,” he promised. The kind of phrase politicians love. But this time, he had the receipts to back it up.

Adeleke wasn’t done. He wanted Ijesa people to know they were in his government. Not just symbolically. Actually in it.

“The commissioners for agriculture, environment, health, local governments and cooperative empowerment are from Ijesaland.” He counted them off on his fingers. “Several advisers and other senior appointees were appointed from this great land.”

They are change agents, he said. Proudly representing Ijesaland. “Ijesa people are at the heart of our government.” At the heart. Not on the margins. The grammar was intentional. The message was clear.

Then the business pitch. Because Ijesa people are entrepreneurs. Everyone knows this. The Omole dynasty. Others. Thriving. But could be more.

“Ilesa is a land of entrepreneurs,” Adeleke reminded them. “How can we forget?” He announced a partnership with the Palace of Adimula. “Holistic industrialisation agenda.” The traditional ruler making his “wealth of experience, contacts and resources available to the government.” Public-private partnership. Fast-track development.

The crowd was listening now. Really listening. Not just carnival noise.

Adeleke wrapped it up. But not with an apology. Not with modesty. With defiance.

“Your delivery as a governor is the best judge of your performance and capacity to lead,” he repeated. Judge me, he seemed to say. But judge me right. Look at the work. Not the dance moves. Not the smile. The work.

The statement from his spokesperson landed in journalists’ inboxes later. Polished. Perfect grammar. But the live version? That was the real thing. Raw. Unfiltered. Adeleke being Adeleke.

Three years in. Delivered across all sectors, he claims. The critics? They’ll have their say. They always do. But on this Sunday in Ilesa, the governor spoke his piece. Loud and clear. No master. No servant. Just a man defending his record. In front of his people. Where it matters most.