Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke recalled on Sunday the controversy that trailed his educational qualification during the 2018 governorship election saying that he was subjected to the worst personality attacks and assaults in the political history of the state.
He, however, stated that he is a living example of how best to pursue an educational degree despite his age.
In his remarks at the convocation of Adeleke University, Ede, Adeleke maintained that getting well educated is not time-bound and age must not be a barrier to educational pursuit.
He noted that July 16 makes a year he was elected as governor despite how he was subjected to personality attacks and assaults in 2018 as a result of discussion over hir academic qualifications.
He said, “Interestingly, getting well educated is not time-bound. We all must have read several stories of people at advanced ages enrolling and graduating from universities. You all know I am a living example of how best to pursue an educational degree despite age;
“Today marks a year since my election as the governor of Osun State. Four years before then, in 2018, I was rigged out and our mandate was stolen. I was subjected to the worst personality attacks and assaults in Osun’s political history.
“After a manipulated judicial process, I went on self-exile for two major reasons. Firstly, to escape the evil plot of enemies who were not satisfied with stealing the people’s mandate. Secondly, to complete my degree programmes especially as my educational qualifications dominated the 2018 campaigns.
“At my age then, I successfully re-enrolled and completed my degree programme. I am proud of that achievement and I thank my family and friends for their total support. I came back to re-contest in 2022 as a brand-new graduate. The rest is now history,” Adeleke added.
In his address at the 9th undergraduate and 5th post-graduate convocation of the university, the pro-chancellor and elder brother of the governor, Dr Adedeji Adeleke, lamented the increasing rejection and maltreatment of Nigerians in several countries and posited that most challenges drawing the nation back are traceable to both followership’s refusal to take responsibility and the leadership complacency in the face of the willing citizenry.
He advised followers to redirect their frustration to monitoring and policing the leadership, stopping election rigging, and active participation in the governance process.
By-Lateef Dada