Adeleke Adetunji Anthony

Adeleke Anthony (Osun), born **15 January 1955**, is a Nigerian politician who served as a two-time Senator representing Osun West under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was elected again in 2015 but ran unsuccessfully for re-election in April 2011, finishing second with 77,090 votes behind Mudasiru Oyetunde Hussein of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Born in Enugu State, Adeleke spent his early years in the city before the Nigerian Civil War forced his family to relocate. He attended Christ Church School, Enugu, before continuing his education at Ogbomoso Grammar School in Ibadan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s degree in public administration. He was Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council at the University of Calabar. He was also the uncle of Nigerian musician Davido.

During the Nigerian Third Republic, Adeleke ran for governor of Osun State (created from Oyo State) as a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Though initially a front-runner, Oladipo Oladosu won the primary, but Adeleke secured a runoff and became the first civilian governor of Osun State in 1992. Key achievements included establishing a polytechnic in Iree, a college of technology at Esa-Oke, and completing the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation. However, after the dissolution of the republic, he aligned with opposition groups, including Afenifere, before joining the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) with Abacha’s support.