By our correspondent
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent Governor of Osun State and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, winner of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, securing a second term in office.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
The returning officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, announced the final result on Sunday after the collation of results from the state’s 30 local government areas.
The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes over Oyebamiji.
Adeleke’s victory was driven by his performance across 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The governor’s strongest advantages came from areas including Ede-North and Ede-South, where Accord recorded substantial margins over the APC.
In Ede-North, Adeleke secured 35,427 votes against Oyebamiji’s 10,283, giving him a margin of 25,144 votes. In Ede-South, he polled 26,188 votes against the APC candidate’s 6,219, producing another 19,969-vote advantage.
The two Ede councils therefore delivered a combined net advantage of more than 45,000 votes for Adeleke.
The governor also performed strongly in Osogbo, where Accord polled 36,480 votes against APC’s 30,474, as well as across the Ife axis.
In Ife-East, Adeleke secured 27,201 votes against 18,600 for Oyebamiji, while he won Ife-Central with 21,171 votes to APC’s 15,913. He also prevailed in Ife-North with 13,879 votes against 9,613.
Other local government areas that contributed to Adeleke’s victory included Egbedore, Iwo, Oriade and several others.
Despite losing the overall election, Oyebamiji demonstrated the strength of the APC in parts of the state, winning 11 of the 30 local government areas. His strongest showing included Irewole, where APC recorded 29,972 votes against Accord’s 10,934.
The election had been fiercely contested, with both candidates campaigning extensively across the state in the weeks leading to the poll.
Adeleke had entered the election seeking to build on his first-term record, while Oyebamiji campaigned on a platform of change and promised to address critical areas including education, healthcare, agriculture, power generation and workers’ welfare.
Ahead of the election, Adeleke had repeatedly dismissed concerns over the political influence backing the APC candidate, describing himself as a “bulldozer” and insisting that he was not intimidated by federal might or governors supporting his opponent.
The final results indicate that Adeleke was able to translate his support in key areas into a statewide electoral advantage.
The election also marks another significant chapter in Osun’s closely contested political landscape, with the governor now set to continue his administration for another four years.
Final results:
Accord – Ademola Adeleke: 511,067 votes
APC – Bola Oyebamiji: 444,815 votes
ADC – Najeem Salaam: 17,180 votes
Winning margin: 66,252 votes
Adeleke’s victory was subsequently celebrated by supporters, including Nigerian music star Davido, the governor’s nephew, who reacted to the result on social media with the message, “We did it.”
Adeleke Defeats APC’s Oyebamiji, Wins Second Term As Osun Governor
