Some politicians march into their birthdays with stiff press statements and awkward protocol. Ademola Adeleke moonwalked into 65.
The Osun State Governor, part politician, part performer, all heart, turned 65 on May 13, and the tributes came in like confetti from every corner of Nigeria and far beyond. President Bola Tinubu, no stranger to rivalry, called him a “pan-Nigerian leader.” But Nigerians know: he’s the pan-Nigerian dancer.
Few governors are instantly recognisable by their two steps. Fewer still can win an election, beat a court case, and go viral on TikTok, without saying a word. Adeleke’s story is Nigeria’s own remix of charisma and controversy: from the Senate floor to the dance floor, from Jackson State to Ede Grammar, he’s moved with rhythm even when politics got rough.
There was the forgery allegation that danced through courtrooms and headlines. There was the heartbreak of a lost election in 2018, and the footwork of a comeback in 2022, when he swept 17 local governments and retired an incumbent. Each setback, it seems, only tightened his groove.
But behind the jollof beats and agbada spins is a politician reshaping Osun State with surprising seriousness. Teachers speak of salaries paid on time. Civil servants whisper that the bureaucracy feels less clogged. And when floods threaten, it’s not just umbrellas that open, Adeleke’s government has too, with drainage projects and urban plans that suggest his cabinet meetings may have less music, more metrics.
Still, the man moves. And as he clocked 65, Nigerians celebrated not just a governor, but a cultural event. A throwback to politics with personality. A reminder that laughter, when paired with leadership, isn’t unserious—it’s human.
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