Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed criticism of his frequent dancing at public events, insisting that the hobby has never affected his duties or performance in office.
Adeleke spoke on Tuesday at the Arise TV town hall meeting for candidates participating in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, where he also highlighted projects delivered by his administration.
The governor described himself as a “prudent worker” and said dancing was simply part of his personality. He maintained that while he enjoys dancing publicly, he has remained committed to governance and development across the state.
“I dance because in my family, we are jolly good fellows. As I am dancing, I am working. There is time for everything, there is time to dance, and there is time to work. Dancing does not stop me from working. I have delivered across all sectors,” Adeleke said.
His comments came after Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, recently ridiculed his dancing during an APC campaign rally in Osun and urged voters to reject what he called the “dancing governor.”
Responding to his critics, Adeleke said anyone uncomfortable with his dancing could learn the skill from him.
“If they can’t dance, I can teach them how to dance,” he said.
He said his personality remained popular among his supporters and stressed that dancing was merely a personal hobby that had no bearing on his official responsibilities.
“Dancing is a hobby. That does not affect my work. My people love me,” he said.
READ ALSO: Osun Poll: Adeleke’s Camp Accuses Police Of Plotting Mass Arrests
Adeleke also used the town hall to defend the performance of his administration, citing road construction and rehabilitation as some of its achievements.
He said several roads across Osun had been constructed or rehabilitated, with solar-powered streetlights installed on some of them to improve security and support economic activity.
“As I’m speaking to you, I did not only build roads across Osun, I installed them with solar lights. This we did to provide security and enhance economic development,” he said.
The governor further disclosed that more than 200 primary healthcare centres had been upgraded and rehabilitated, with the facilities provided with electricity and clean water.
“As of today, we have upgraded and rehabilitated over 200 primary healthcare facilities to global standards, equipped with electricity and clean water,” Adeleke said.
He added that the projects executed by his administration had been assessed and certified by qualified engineers to meet international standards.
Adeleke is seeking a second term on the platform of the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which he won the 2022 governorship election.
He will face the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, and other contenders in Saturday’s election.