“It was after everything failed” – Rufai Oseni claims Tinubu congratulated Adeleke after Osun election

• Rufai Oseni has claimed that President Bola Tinubu congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke only after “everything failed,” while praising Adeleke’s resilience and the support he received from Osun voters.
• The Arise TV journalist also criticised vote buying and warned that Nigerians should not become complacent, stressing that voters remain vulnerable to propaganda and emotional manipulation.

Arise TV journalist Rufai Oseni has claimed that President Bola Tinubu congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke only after “everything failed” during the state’s governorship election.

Speaking on Arise TV, Oseni praised Adeleke and his supporters for remaining firm, arguing that the governor’s resilience and the backing of Osun residents contributed to the outcome of the election.

“It was after everything failed, President Tinubu congratulated,” Oseni said.

The journalist went on to describe Adeleke as a strong-willed politician who enjoyed the support of the people.

“This Adeleke is very strong. His head is a bulldozer. Adeleke’s head is strong and the people loved him and they stood with him.”

Oseni, however, identified vote buying as one of the major challenges affecting Nigeria’s electoral process. He noted that while some voters rejected inducements, others still collected money during the election.

“Osun people can sing Ojutowoo, Ojutowoo, but they still collected the money. Those are the problems in our election process,” he said.

According to the journalist, voters often accept money because they want to support candidates they believe have a realistic chance of winning, rather than risk casting their votes for candidates they consider unlikely to emerge victorious.

“Voters will only tilt to a candidate with the possibility of winning, because they don’t want to waste their votes,” Oseni explained.

He also cautioned against becoming complacent following the election, warning that voters could still be influenced by misinformation and political propaganda.

“It’s not yet Owuruu, o. People’s emotions are fickle and can be pumped with propaganda,” he said.

Oseni’s comments come amid discussions over the outcome of the Osun governorship election, Adeleke’s re-election and the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s electoral process.

The journalist credited Adeleke’s resilience and the support of Osun voters for the governor’s performance while also highlighting vote buying as a persistent concern.

He further warned that political victories should not lead voters to lower their guard, stressing that emotions and propaganda can still influence public opinion.