By Saheed Rabiu
I am a Lagos man by passion. But i am full Iwo by blood — under the reign of my Royal Father, Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi, Telu I. I rarely interfere in Osun politics. Yet this election compels a witness.
Days before the elections, Kabiyesi admonished the indigenes: “Vote for competence, not sentiments.” No banners. No drums. Just royal wisdom. That is Iwo.
What Osun witnessed was political choreography, led by the Ochestra-in-Chief, Governor Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, the candidate of ACCORD party, did not just campaign. He performed. He converted governance into spectacle and spectacle into ballots through affective politics — where emotion and symbolism drive voter’s choice.
Agenda Setting: Law 6, Court Attention.
Adeleke dominated the public sphere. The dance. The “Imọlẹ” brand. While opponents debated manifestos, he owned the timeline. In the marketplace of attention, visibility is victory.
Charismatic Authority: Law 28, Enter With Boldness.
With the certainty of a Weberian charismatic, he offered joy in place of austerity. Bold entry creates its own legitimacy, and Osun responded to that audacity.
Distributive Politics: Law 13, Appeal to Self-Interest.
“Imọlẹ” was not rhetoric. It was pensions paid, rural roads graded, and health outreach programs delivered. He practiced the patron-client calculus — loyalty purchased not by promise, but by delivery.
IWO AND THE MIRROR OF HISTORY
I recall the 90s vividly — the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke as SDP governor. Even then, development had a face.
Today, the echo returns. Let it be said plainly: the development in this ancient town of Iwo is glaring. It is tactile. It is visible.
For decades, Iwo has practiced affective partisanship. “Iwo people don’t double date politically. Once you’re loved, you’re loved forever.” Yet that fidelity has often been betrayed in the arithmetic of power sharing and resource allocation.
This time, the narrative shifted. The palace was carried along. The streets saw asphalt. That is the difference between symbolic representation and substantive representation.
Cultural Convergence: Law 38.
He spoke the dialect, honored the stools, danced to the bata — elite-populist fusion in motion.
Electoral Consolidation: Law 15.
From the 2022 judicial contest to a wider 2026 mandate, he achieved electoral closure.
To Governor Adeleke: Never relent on your laurels. Let the waltz of campaigns yield to the marathon of governance. Let prosperity be the judge.
To Osun: Party banners fade. But roads and schools remain. May the light of “Imọlẹ” be a lantern that guides, especially to ancient towns like Iwo that have waited long at the table.
History is a patient scribe. And Kabiyesi is watching.
Appreciatively, and successfully, I say congratulations to Governor Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke.
Saheed Rabiu is a Political Affairs Analyst and Lagos State Governor’s Office Correspondent with many decades of experience in public affairs and politics. He writes from Lagos.