Governor Adeleke denies nominating daughter, uncle for commissioners

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has denied reports that he appointed his biological daughter and uncle to positions in the state government.

Adewale Egbedun, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, made public the list of cabinet nominees for Osun State on Friday, July 7, 2023.

Mrs. Adenike Folasade Adeleke, the widow of Governor Adeleke’s late older brother Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, is one of the nominees.

After serving as the first executive governor of Osun State and the senator for the state’s Osun West Senatorial District for three terms, the elder Adeleke passed away in April of 2017.

Not related to the governor in any way, Professor Maroof Adeleke is also on the list of nominees.

Adeleke denied that one of the two nominees were his daughter or uncle in a statement released by his spokeswoman, Olawale Rasheed.

Prof. Adeleke is a native of Osogbo, the state capital, but he was born in Ilesa. Mrs. Adeleke is the widow of the late Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, and the daughter of Chief Omidiran of Osogbo Land.

If they have any kind of good intentions, we thought the people spreading the phoney news would do some simple investigative journalism. If slandering the state governor is the objective, however, the nominees’ authenticity as natives of Osogbo land would not go unnoticed.

Therefore, we encourage the public to disregard the false information providers. There is no direct relative of the Governor serving in the cabinet. Governor Adeleke is dedicated to ensuring that appointments are made fairly, taking into account factors including competence, geographic diversity, and industry representation.

Upon the list’s release on Friday by the Osun Assembly, certain media sites, excluding Infostride News, incorrectly identified Adenike Folasade Adeleke as the governor’s daughter.