Photo: Gov Adeleke
By Mandy Park
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has been declared the winner of the 2026 governorship election, securing a second term in office after defeating his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke, who contested under the platform of the Accord Party, winner of the election after he polled 511,067 votes across the state.
Oyebamiji finished second with 444,815 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in the remaining 11 LGAs.
The governor’s victory gave him a margin of 66,252 votes over his APC challenger.
The election was held on Saturday, August 15, with voting taking place across the state’s polling units. The results were subsequently collated at the INEC state collation centre in Osogbo.
The Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, announced Adeleke as the winner after the completion of the collation exercise in the early hours of Sunday. Channels Television reported that collation began around 2 a.m. and was completed around 8 a.m.
Adeleke’s re-election marks the continuation of his administration after he first emerged governor in the 2022 governorship election.
His latest victory also comes after a closely fought contest with the APC, which mounted a strong challenge across the state.
The outcome is expected to have political significance ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly given Osun’s importance in the political calculations of the South-West.
Following the declaration, congratulatory messages began to pour in for the governor, with political figures and supporters hailing the outcome of the election.
The election result, as announced by INEC, places Adeleke in line to serve another four-year term as governor of Osun State.
