TUNJI OLANIYI
The campaign structure of Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate for Lagos State, has appointed a former lieutenant of the Late Engineer Funso Williams to oversee operations as its Director of Organisation.
The position is familiar terrain for Osikoya Adeleke, who in 2011 was elected the Organising Secretary for Lagos PDP.
Announcing the appointment in a press statement at the weekend, Agbaje’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Felix Oboagwina, credited the new Director with contributing immensely to the successful mileage Lagos PDP recorded in the 2015 elections.
Adeleke was part of the think-tank of the Late Engineer Funso Williams, former PDP governorship aspirant assassinated in Lagos in 2006.
He first joined Williams’ team when the former Works’ Commissioner ran for the Lagos State governorship under the defunct United National Congress Party (UNCP) and thereafter the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
Adeleke, with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sociology from the Lagos State University (LASU), hailed from Agbowa Ikosi in Epe Local Government of the state, according to the statement.
An avid political player whose active participation began on campus, he won election as a Parliamentarian in the students’ union government to represent the Department of Sociology and the Faculty of Social Sciences through his four years in LASU.
He also served as the Secretary to the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Council for the 2011 presidential election won by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Adeleke equally worked as Personal Assistant to the Minister for Works and Housing, Chief Femi Anibaba, between 2004 and 2007.
From 2013 to 2015, he was Technical Assistant to Deputy Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Chief Tanwa Olusi.
In addition, the PDP national leadership had variously appointed Adeleke to serve on several committees, some of which he chaired.
His interest in politics reportedly dated back to his sojourn with his Aunt, the Late Alhaja Adetutu Odunsi, former Iyaloja General and market leader in Lagos State.